so lucky
Garden Master
I think you leave them on the vine till they get leathery-feeling, brownish, too tough to eat, then pick them and let them dry in a dry place out of the sun.
The Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans Varieties Nearly Free
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897tgigvib
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Yep, what So Lucky said. Monty, let the pods get dry and wrinkly on the plants as much as possible, then pick them. I pick each pod using 2 hands to keep from damaging the plant.
What I try to do to get as big a crop as possible is keep the plants alive the full season. Some varieties more than others will produce more flowers and pods as the season progresses, each variety in its own way. You know I lived in barely zone 4 Montana for 21 years, and now living in something like zone 8 northern california, with this huge long season, I try to take advantage of it, with great glee, all that extra time after summer, this long "indian summer" that we have. But I did it in Montana too, get those plants to make pods as long as possible.
Monty, you can pick those dry pods every day or once a week, or wait until you see a lot of them basically dry ripe and pick them almost all at once. its up to you.
I'm kind of thinking that with Russ' description of tobacco patch bush dry bean, being so strong and productive, that you may get more out of them than a single crop.
Pole beans are mostly good for multiple pickings this way.
Now, this multiple cropping for dry pods is not as much as multiple cropping that you can get from picking the beans for crops of snap beans. Course. The plants have worked to fully ripen the pods, plus plants have ripening hormones that tell the annual plants that they are done. I am guessing, but seems each variety of bean has more or less of that.
There are things that can make harvesting dry beans a bit more complicated. What if suddenly you get a bunch of rainstorms just as you have a bunch of almost and actually fully ripe pods on the pants? If that happens, go ahead and pick them all from almost ripe to fully dry, bring them into the house, dry them on towels, set them on newspapers or something, and finish ripening and drying them inside. Some might be a bit small, a few might have a dimple, but most will be just fine. (I keep my "wrinkles" in some cans as a mix, separate from my others, and consider those my emergency spare stash should something happen to my collection. I've found that "wrinkles", even 5 year old ones, still get 30% germination.)
As always, should Russ have different things to say about harvesting Beans, follow what he says. He knows a lot more, tons more than I do.
What I try to do to get as big a crop as possible is keep the plants alive the full season. Some varieties more than others will produce more flowers and pods as the season progresses, each variety in its own way. You know I lived in barely zone 4 Montana for 21 years, and now living in something like zone 8 northern california, with this huge long season, I try to take advantage of it, with great glee, all that extra time after summer, this long "indian summer" that we have. But I did it in Montana too, get those plants to make pods as long as possible.
Monty, you can pick those dry pods every day or once a week, or wait until you see a lot of them basically dry ripe and pick them almost all at once. its up to you.
I'm kind of thinking that with Russ' description of tobacco patch bush dry bean, being so strong and productive, that you may get more out of them than a single crop.
Pole beans are mostly good for multiple pickings this way.
Now, this multiple cropping for dry pods is not as much as multiple cropping that you can get from picking the beans for crops of snap beans. Course. The plants have worked to fully ripen the pods, plus plants have ripening hormones that tell the annual plants that they are done. I am guessing, but seems each variety of bean has more or less of that.
There are things that can make harvesting dry beans a bit more complicated. What if suddenly you get a bunch of rainstorms just as you have a bunch of almost and actually fully ripe pods on the pants? If that happens, go ahead and pick them all from almost ripe to fully dry, bring them into the house, dry them on towels, set them on newspapers or something, and finish ripening and drying them inside. Some might be a bit small, a few might have a dimple, but most will be just fine. (I keep my "wrinkles" in some cans as a mix, separate from my others, and consider those my emergency spare stash should something happen to my collection. I've found that "wrinkles", even 5 year old ones, still get 30% germination.)
As always, should Russ have different things to say about harvesting Beans, follow what he says. He knows a lot more, tons more than I do.
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
grrrr
i've been trying to catch this critter that helped itself to my potato/bean/brassica patch. it helped itself to most of my napa cabbage, took out all but 3 bean plants, and then occasionally digs up some of my potatoes. i'm a little behind getting my replacements going but they are in 2-3 gallon containers in my greenhouse to help protect them from the beastie.
i've been trying to catch this critter that helped itself to my potato/bean/brassica patch. it helped itself to most of my napa cabbage, took out all but 3 bean plants, and then occasionally digs up some of my potatoes. i'm a little behind getting my replacements going but they are in 2-3 gallon containers in my greenhouse to help protect them from the beastie.
897tgigvib
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Nova Star is segregating! They are the fastest to mature dry pods of all the pole beans I'm growing. Some are well above the top beam over my garden reaching for the sky.
Segregating means that the Nova Star beans I planted are acting like they were 2nd or 3rd generation hybrid seeds.
Segregation shows up as different traits mixed up differently in each plant. Like siblings. They are siblings. Johnny has mom's eyes and dad's hair, Fred has dad's eyes and mom's hair.
So far several plants are making white seeds, several are making black seeds, some are making nova star looking seeds, and at least one so far is making Hutterite type seeds, and these are all very vigorous, very tall, and quick to mature pole beans. The Nova Star looking beans are coming in pods that dry with a hint of purple. That surprised me.
There was definitely no mixup when I harvested these new Nova Star Beans last year.
Segregating means that the Nova Star beans I planted are acting like they were 2nd or 3rd generation hybrid seeds.
Segregation shows up as different traits mixed up differently in each plant. Like siblings. They are siblings. Johnny has mom's eyes and dad's hair, Fred has dad's eyes and mom's hair.
So far several plants are making white seeds, several are making black seeds, some are making nova star looking seeds, and at least one so far is making Hutterite type seeds, and these are all very vigorous, very tall, and quick to mature pole beans. The Nova Star looking beans are coming in pods that dry with a hint of purple. That surprised me.
There was definitely no mixup when I harvested these new Nova Star Beans last year.
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Blue-Jay
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Hi Everyone !
Below is a picture of a bean pod at the peak of perfection as it came off a bush bean vine, and fully rippened on the plant. Bean pods will first loose their green color and turn a light shade of yellow and are swollen with seed. The pods will still have alot of moisture in them. The seeds inside are soft, moist, swollen to a larger size than when they are dry, and not good for storage yet, as they would mold and spoil if put into a storage container. Then the pods will shrink and the seeds inside will shrink and harden, Then the pods will eventually turn a sandy tan color. When they get to this color and become dry and crisp to the feel that's a good time to harvest them. As long as you don't have any rainy weather threatening let me dry on the vine in the sun. Sometimes beans raise outside can be a bit darker, and have a few darker marks on them as they were exposed to the elements of being raised out of doors. The pod below was actually from a plant raised in my west facing window in a large flower pot. The plant and pods were never exposed to the weather. The pod you see here when clipped off it's vine was dry and crisp as a cracker. This pod is similar in type to "Tobacco Patch"
Pod of a bean called "Dalmatian"
Below is a picture of a bean pod at the peak of perfection as it came off a bush bean vine, and fully rippened on the plant. Bean pods will first loose their green color and turn a light shade of yellow and are swollen with seed. The pods will still have alot of moisture in them. The seeds inside are soft, moist, swollen to a larger size than when they are dry, and not good for storage yet, as they would mold and spoil if put into a storage container. Then the pods will shrink and the seeds inside will shrink and harden, Then the pods will eventually turn a sandy tan color. When they get to this color and become dry and crisp to the feel that's a good time to harvest them. As long as you don't have any rainy weather threatening let me dry on the vine in the sun. Sometimes beans raise outside can be a bit darker, and have a few darker marks on them as they were exposed to the elements of being raised out of doors. The pod below was actually from a plant raised in my west facing window in a large flower pot. The plant and pods were never exposed to the weather. The pod you see here when clipped off it's vine was dry and crisp as a cracker. This pod is similar in type to "Tobacco Patch"
Pod of a bean called "Dalmatian"
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Blue-Jay
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Marshall !
You should put some photos of your new seed crop from Nova Star on here with all the different color segregations
You should put some photos of your new seed crop from Nova Star on here with all the different color segregations
bj taylor
Garden Ornament
I have a nutrition problem resulting in bean failure. the plants are big beautiful & empty. this is a bed that got old manure but otherwise nothing extra - but it must have been to high in nitrogen. I've never grown beans before, so don't really know how they go, but it's bouncing around 100 every day with the nights @ 80. we will keep going on like this until some time in October. I don't want to keep babysitting them if this is the result. it's too hot to be fun. will they still get down to business this late or are they going to be just a great big green bean plants w/no beans?
897tgigvib
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I took the pictures but am having a hard time loading into my computer. I'll get it.
I have 14 paper plates of dry beans with 13 varieties of beans on them. The Coco Rubico ripened almost all of their pods at once and I have them on two plates there are so many.
Russ, I guess the Vermont Appaloosa do an initial dry in the pod to white with dark bluish grey marks and then cure to those shades of brown over the course of months?
All are doing well but the PXBT seem to struggle with the heat. I already have a slight increase from them, and there should be some more. Dapple Grey is just starting to make pods. They sure make nice plants that are very lush and green. The Vermont Appaloosa next to them seem like country cousins.
Black Coco should have some pods any day now good and dry.
Wren's Egg, that's the variety the mouse got most of the plants of and I reseeded, gave me a nice sample pod off one of the older plants. I believe Wren's Egg is a true multi-purpose bean. Nice tender juicy thick pod at most all stages from small to appalachian beans and bacon size, and they look and smell like great shelly beans with good size, and oooh, they'd sure look good in a 3 bean salad! I bet they'd make a better senator soup than navy beans too.
Oh, the Mitla Black Tepary, scimitar pod selection and the big tall plant selection are both making pods. So are most of the other tepary beans. For some reason the blue speckled plants are small this year. They'll produce though. Golden Speckled Paiute is really going to town. Teparies need picking nearly every day once they start ripening else they could shatter.
Harvey's White Haricot Tendrais pole bean is climbing very tall, signs of flowers pretty soon.
The Sierra Madre Star varieties will not be making pods for another month. Maybe sooner.
That wild California white Aster in the middle of my garden is already 3 times the size and height of any in the wild. I believe it'll bloom this year, september or october.
I have 14 paper plates of dry beans with 13 varieties of beans on them. The Coco Rubico ripened almost all of their pods at once and I have them on two plates there are so many.
Russ, I guess the Vermont Appaloosa do an initial dry in the pod to white with dark bluish grey marks and then cure to those shades of brown over the course of months?
All are doing well but the PXBT seem to struggle with the heat. I already have a slight increase from them, and there should be some more. Dapple Grey is just starting to make pods. They sure make nice plants that are very lush and green. The Vermont Appaloosa next to them seem like country cousins.
Black Coco should have some pods any day now good and dry.
Wren's Egg, that's the variety the mouse got most of the plants of and I reseeded, gave me a nice sample pod off one of the older plants. I believe Wren's Egg is a true multi-purpose bean. Nice tender juicy thick pod at most all stages from small to appalachian beans and bacon size, and they look and smell like great shelly beans with good size, and oooh, they'd sure look good in a 3 bean salad! I bet they'd make a better senator soup than navy beans too.
Oh, the Mitla Black Tepary, scimitar pod selection and the big tall plant selection are both making pods. So are most of the other tepary beans. For some reason the blue speckled plants are small this year. They'll produce though. Golden Speckled Paiute is really going to town. Teparies need picking nearly every day once they start ripening else they could shatter.
Harvey's White Haricot Tendrais pole bean is climbing very tall, signs of flowers pretty soon.
The Sierra Madre Star varieties will not be making pods for another month. Maybe sooner.
That wild California white Aster in the middle of my garden is already 3 times the size and height of any in the wild. I believe it'll bloom this year, september or october.
MontyJ
Deeply Rooted
My Winterfare were looking beautiful Russ. We had a nasty storm come through the other day with high wind and hail. Unfortunately, the Winterfare took the worst of it. You can see them here. I'm not giving up on them though. My biggest concern now is much heavier insect and disease pressure because of the damage. Believe me, the pictures are doing them justice. They look a lot worse in person. I may have to do some pruning to remove some of the worst damage. I really don't like the idea, but to save the plants, I'll do what I have to.
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
Russ, i can't remember if the black & white trout was one that you needed to restock? that is the one (only 1 plant that is) that has survived in my potato patch and is now producing around a dozen bean pods.
