[juliec]

Hi Some of you helped me with my last question about my beans.  Once I had covered them the birds stopped eating them!! so yippee now I have some. BUT how do I know when to pick them some are long gangly and look hard and some are about as long as my thumb.. Can any one tell me whens the best time to pick beans.

Many thanks for your help in anticipation.

julie

[Give it a go]

I would say around 6 inches long for the best beans.

[JayG]

A general rule is that once you can see the outline of the developing beans in the pod they are past their best and could be stringy, although this does depend on variety.

It also depends on growing conditions; I've had beans only 6" long which were inedible because the weather was so hot (not for a few years, mind!), on the other hand I've had them a foot long when conditions were perfect and they were wonderfully tender and juicy. As the days shorten and become cooler the beans take longer to develop and can become tough before they get to their "usual" size, so at the end of the day it's really a matter of experience with your variety and your growing conditions.

[peterjf]

the more you pick the more you get,

helps if you spray flowers with water too,

pick those from about 4 inches long ,