Beans are very sensitive plants, especially as young shoots. Piling them up gives them support and prevents them from breaking off. Below you will find out when and for which beans it makes sense to pile up.
Why and when should you pile up beans?
The purpose of piling up beans is to support the delicate plant shoots and prevent them from breaking off. It is particularly useful for bush beans and should be done when the plant is at least 15 cm high.
Why is it piling up?
Piling has one main function: to provide support. Since the sprouts of beans break off very easily, they are piled up to support them. Piling up is advisable, especially in very windy areas.
Which beans are piled up?
In principle, you can pile up any bean, but this only really makes sense with bush beans. Since runner beans have a support thanks to the climbing aid, they are less likely to break off and therefore pile up rather unusually.
When and how does it accumulate?
It is piled up when the plant has reached a height of at least 15cm. Then proceed as follows:
- Loosen the soil a few centimeters from the young bean. Do not hoe too close to the bean plant to avoid damaging the roots!
- Then use your hands to pile up the loosened soil around the bean plant so that the soil reaches a few centimeters higher than before.
- Press the soil well but carefully.
- Water your bean plants carefully to make sure the new soil doesn't move.
Alternative to piling up
Bush beans can also be supported in other ways. It is common for home gardeners to build some kind of lean-to for bush beans. It works like this:
- Stick sticks or stakes into the soil on all four corners of your bush bean patch. They should fit snugly.
- Stretch several ropes along your bed from one stick to the other to create a kind of rough fence.
The fence should neither be too close to the beans, so as not to hinder their growth, nor too far away, then it would have no effect. Therefore, read the recommended planting distance on your sowing package and halve it. This is the ideal distance for your homemade support.10cm away from the sown bean is probably a good measurement in most cases.
Tip
Combine your beans with other medium or tall plants such as tomatoes to protect them from wind. You can find out more about good and bad neighbors and growing beans here.
