[lettice]

Grown borlotto beans for the first time, thanks to a little helping I took out from the Seed pass the parcel.
They have grown six foot on a few wigwams and there are loads of beans growing.
Now when exactly do I pick them. Some pics below, are they big enough yet to pick?
Will be using the whole beans in all kinds of recipes.

Assume also you can save a few beans for growing on next year.

[Hampshire Hog]

Good Morning Lettice your beans are looking good to me. Borlotto beans can be picked at various points if you want to use the whole bean including pod then these look ready. If you intend to dry them and pod them then check size by podding a couple but you normally leave them to dry on the plant. ( Watching out for any animals deciding to eat them before you!)

Good luck HH

[sunshineband]

As we seem to have a high level of rodent population, I gather mine as the pods start to dry and hang up the whole plant somewhere dry until they are completely crisp and the beans are hard enough to bounce if dropped onot a hard surface

[snowdrops]

Those beans look ready to pick & pod to me. When they are still flat & not showing any bumps of beans I use them like runner beans, then as they get going more & ive a glut of all types of beans, I let them get to the stage yours look to be, pod them, discard the pod & freeze the beans ready to add a handful in to any dish I might be making. The rest that get left on the plants I allow to dry,weather permitting otherwise I pick & dry the whole pod which supplies dried beans for the kitchen & some for next years seeds