- harvest time
- This is how the harvest works
- increase yield
- gain seed
- store beans
- What happens to the plant?
- tips and tricks
Hardly sown - the first beans are already ready for harvest. Most types of beans take about 8 to 10 weeks to be harvested for the first time. Early varieties such as the "Saxa" bush bean are in a hurry - the first tender beans are ready to harvest after just 6 weeks.
harvest time
The first bean harvest begins in July. If you decide to sow a second bean, you can even harvest until October. You can tell whether your bush beans, pole beans or runner beans are ripe by touching and breaking the bean pods.
This is how the harvest works
Beans are carefully picked by hand. The young fruits are harvested before the germs push through the pod. Picking can be done every two to three days.
Frequent picking promotes the formation of new shoots and increases yields. If you want to use the beans as dry beans, let them ripen.
increase yield
Due to their short growth period, beans can be sown until the end of July. You can plant them twice in a row in the same place or use a bed that was harvested early, for example early potatoes, again in the same year.
gain seed
If you want to get seeds from your harvest, let some beans fully ripen. When they turn white, remove the beans and hang them up in a warm, dry place. You remove the seeds from the dry pods, which are placed next to each other to dry.
store beans
The fresh, tender beans taste best. They must never be eaten raw. Raw beans are poisonous. The legumes are safe to eat when cooked.
But usually not all beans can be used at once. Cooking, freezing and drying can extend their shelf life. Flavor and vitamins are best preserved by freezing. The beans are briefly blanched before freezing.
What happens to the plant?
If the plant has been spared diseases and pests, the herb of the plant goes on the compost. The roots can remain in the soil until digging in the fall and continue to enrich it with nitrogen.
tips and tricks
Beans can also be clipped from the vines with sharp scissors. But please in such a way that shoots and flowers are not injured.