Now it's easier than ever to set up "teepees" for all your climbing vegetables and flowering vines. The Wigwam Grip (sold in sets of 2) is economical, weather-tough, and versatilejust about the best "bean ring" we have ever tried.
This simple, lightweight ring, 5 inches in diameter, is set about with a circle of 6 reinforced 1-inch openings, perfect for gripping a pole or cane about ½-inch in diameter. Just plunge the base of each cane into the soil, creating a circle of up to about 2½ to 3 feet in diameter, and then fit the tips of the canes through the Wigwam Grip. You're done.
Manufactured in England, the Wigwam Grip comes with easy instructions, but one look at the product tells you how it works. What we like about it is that the height and diameter of the tower are completely adjustable, so you can fit it right into the veggie patch or annual garden. The reinforced holes grip the poles securely, so you don't have to worry about the tower toppling or becoming lopsided, even during stormy weather.
The Wigwam Grip would also work nicely with patio tomatoes and peas, but its forte is pole beans. And if you're thinking of growing a Three Sisters garden (beans, corn, and squash grown together to provide each other with support and shade), consider the Wigwam Grip to help the corn hold up those heavy-yielding beans.
Endlessly reusable, the Wigwam Grip is handy to store, but you may find yourself pulling it back out in all seasons to show off those sweet peas, morning glories, and trailing nasturtiums. We have already improvised with ours, tossing up a dozen or more Wigwam Grips one afternoon in the trial gardens to protect a row of tender young plants from an unexpected late frost. (Just toss a sheet over the tower and you're good to go.) They would probably work well with container clematis, too. Pick up a few sets of these all-purpose garden helpers this season.
