if $index=1 how can I create a variable named $column_1 by appending $index behind $columnname

I would like to loop through an array and create variable names such as column1, column2, column3 etc. where the number at the end comes from the value of index. For instance: 1) $toast=array("wheat", "rye", "pumpernickel"); 2) $numbreads=count($toast); 3) for($index=0;$index<$numbreads;$index++){ 4) $column$index=$toasts[$index]; 5) } At the end I would in theory have three fields called column1, column2, column3. How can I append $index to another to make a new variable name as shown in line 4 ? Thanks in advance Jay