Pole bean vines for summer shade...

[Sonya9]

Just thought I would share an idea I am trying. My chicken run could use more shade during the summer heat, I know others ask about chicken friendly plants for shade and this year I decided to try pole beans.

My run always has some grass so I don't need to worry about the bean plants being eaten once they get going. Since there is a pole in the run to support the netting I am excited to try this! Shade for the chickens and hopefully fresh green beans for me all summer (the chickens can have some too if they like them).

Some people make arches or tee-pees. Since a pack of pole been seeds is less than two bucks and they can be grown along the fence too I thought it would be less expensive and more fun to try than buying bushes.

 

[tcstoehr]

Those bean vine structures shown would actually be very inviting to chickens. They would hang out inside there when not foraging. My chickens love relaxing underneath various sorts of vegetative cover. I think they instinctively seek out protection from "eyes from above", and they do love shade on warm sunny days.
Those bean plantings would not have grown if they had been exposed to chickens. Chickens would have ripped the young plants to pieces. The vines would have to be well established before being exposed to chickens. Growing those things isn't easy and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were gardening-inclined and had some other interest in growing beans, like for your dinner table.

 

[Sonya9]

Those bean plantings would not have grown if they had been exposed to chickens. Chickens would have ripped the young plants to pieces. The vines would have to be well established before being exposed to chickens. Growing those things isn't easy and I wouldn't recommend it unless you were gardening-inclined and had some other interest in growing beans, like for your dinner table.

Yes I do want the green beans for eating. I am not a great gardener BUT if I can protect the plants when small I think they will be okay.

I have my lawn man use a weed whacker in the chicken run every couple of weeks to keep the grass/weeds from getting to high, so if I protect the baby bean plants from being gobbled up when they sprout I think they will be okay.

I am a lazy gardener however I do visit the chicken run a few time a day which would be good since the string beans need to be picked frequently to keep the plant producing.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm doing something similar in that I'm planting pole beans and cukes in a raised bed that is on the immediate outside of my chicken pen. As the pen has hardware cloth from the bottom to 4 ft., they won't be able to reach through to destroy the plant at the base. The leaves will shade the run and I'll be happy to share the fruit with them as they love both pole beans and cukes.

I've did the pole bean tepee when my kids were little. Pretty sure they spent the entire summer inside that thing!

 

[henless]

Pole beans work great for summer shade. I planted some last year in my raised bed I have at the end of my coop.

The outside looking in, during the beginning of the season.



Farther along in the season you can see how much more it has covered the coop end.



This is the inside looking out. Makes it look more secluded.


I plan on doing it again this year. I had string for the beans to climb. This year I plan on putting up some cattle panels, something that has a bit more support.