Hi i am about to put sticks in for my beans, i have got 10ft tall sticks, should i join them at the top to make an arch or will they be ok on their own? thankyou

We usually put them in two rows, about 2-3 feet apart, and around 12" gaps between sticks, then join opposing sticks at around 6ft high and join the whole row with sticks across the top to provide stability.

Remember that you have to be able to reach the top to pick the beans - don't have the sticks so high you have to stand on tiptoes to touch them, the beans grow as high as they are allowed.

And another popular way is to make a wigwam shape and cross them all over each other and tie together about 5 or 6 foot high. Again one stick for each plant about one foot apart.

as an extra i grow sweetpeas with my runners [wigwams for me] . the flowers encorage more polinators to the beans. also 2 'crops' edible & floral to boot.

would agree with madmum , but suggest tieing a cane from low down on 1st stick to 5' up on last stick and tie to every stick where it joins.this will add rigidity to the whole structure and stop it from folding down on itself in high winds..................steve

I was amazed to see my Spanish neighbour simply sink one approx 10' stick in the ground, plant five bean seedlings around it - and up they go! She barters her enormous glut of beans with the little shop-cum-bar in the local town!