[little sweetpeas]

I'm assuming I would need to leave some on the plant to dry for the seed for next year but what about dryed beans for cooking

Do the beans need to be left on each plant to dry or do you harvest the beans in bunches and dry them else where to increase the amount of beans the plant produces?

I want to end up with a lot of dried beans but after asking a few gardening friends it seems I would need hundreds of plants to be able to do this.


I hope this question makes sense

[DD.]

You would need to leave the bean on the plant until the seed inside was mature before harvesting & drying out. The simple way of knowing this is when the pod starts to yellow. This will slow down bean production, but if dried beans are what you want this is the only way, if the pods are harvested young, you won't get the seed.

The number of plants, of course, depends on the number of seed you want. I got a goodly quantity of Borlotti beans last year from 48 plants grown up 3 wigwams of 8 canes, with 2 plants to a cane.

[little sweetpeas]

You would need to leave the bean on the plant until the seed inside was mature before harvesting & drying out. The simple way of knowing this is when the pod starts to yellow. This will slow down bean production, but if dried beans are what you want this is the only way, if the pods are harvested young, you won't get the seed.

The number of plants, of course, depends on the number of seed you want. I got a goodly quantity of Borlotti beans last year from 48 plants grown up 3 wigwams of 8 canes, with 2 plants to a cane.

When you say goodly amount is that a lot. I could fit a double 25ft row so was hoping that would give me a few kilo's or is that too hopeful.

[DD.]

After weighing what we have left, I would estimate that there was about 2 kilos initially.

You could get about 100 plants in a 25ft double row at 2 plants per station, so somewhere in the region of 4 kilos perhaps.

[little sweetpeas]

After weighing what we have left, I would estimate that there was about 2 kilos initially.

You could get about 100 plants in a 25ft double row at 2 plants per station, so somewhere in the region of 4 kilos perhaps.

OK so maybe I'll harvest them as beans throughout the season and then just dry what I have left.

I hope that it will be OK to dry them off in the polytunnel and then that way I still get the dryed beans as a bonus. I guess someone might come back and tell me that I can't do that.

[little sweetpeas]

Just another thought could I freeze them as I harvest them?

[zazen999]

Yes, you can freeze them, We grew pinto beans last year - the seeds came from a packet of dried pinto beans and I just grew about 15-20 plants. I left them all on for as long as possible, harvested and froze them. We have them in chillis - weekly - and in stews and all sorts, and ran out last week. I'm growing about 10 times as many this year, of varying types, and will be freezing and drying them out for our winter food supply.

We love beans!!!