Mike Jay wrote:Hi James, welcome to Permies!  I've done the sunflower stalk bean trellis for a couple years now.  It's nice to be able to grow my own bamboo replacement.  I haven't tried teepees yet but I use them with t posts and wire.

I put a 7.5' t post about every 8 feet in the row.  Then I run old electrical wire along the tops of the posts. Then I lean the sunflower stalks against the wire.  Lastly I use twine and tie the sunflowers to the wire.  That is the least efficient part of the process, I need to figure out a way to make that go easier.  But it does allow for different cool patterns.  In this photo I did a crisscrossing pattern.  Another year I had them start at the middle and flare out as they hit the wire.  One of these years I'll put the t posts and wire in one row and lean the sunflowers over to it from the next row over.  Maybe get a tunnel of beans going.

That's genius!  I've been trying to think of what to use for my trellis this year and at the same time I've been kicking around all the sunflower stalks that I just left lying in the garden after I pulled them up.  

Ten years later and your post is still helping people!!  Many Thanks for this.