[basil]

Hi. I started with my allotment last year, but this year I grew berlotti beans for the first time. I bought them as plants, and now that I have harvested them, I would like eat some of them as beans, and use some as seeds to grow from scratch next year.

The dilema is - which ones?

Some are green - probably immature
Some are white/red marbled
Some are smaller and dark brown

Which can I eat? Which can I store? How long for?

Help, please! :?:

[muntjac]

the seed are the ones that came from the dry and crispy pods .if non did then they wont grow next year sorry ,buy new seed

[Little Miss Muffet]

welcome basil to the forum

[Celtic Eagle]

Hiya Basil


Welcome to the forum

[muntjac]

ooh and hiya n welcome    

[Aunt Sally]

I' moving this to GYO as it will get more answers there.  Do pop back to the Welcome Forum and introduce yourself there again Basil  

[gobs]

Hi. I started with my allotment last year, but this year I grew berlotti beans for the first time. I bought them as plants, and now that I have harvested them, I would like eat some of them as beans, and use some as seeds to grow from scratch next year.

The dilema is - which ones?

Some are green - probably immature
Some are white/red marbled
Some are smaller and dark brown

Which can I eat? Which can I store? How long for?

Help, please! :?:

Hi, Basil,

The immature green ones you can use as green beans. When fully ripe, they are a rich off white colour, marbled with maroon. Those will store in a  container for eating as dried beans and can also be sown next year. If pods are not dried, as Munty says, you can cook them as shelling peas.

Smaller and dark brown, might have got the odd dif bean plant.

[Aidy]

I have harvested all mine now, I hang them in the kitchen until they have gone all hard and crispy then take the beans out of the pods and store in airtight containers. If the original seed was F1 it might not be worth growing next year, also there may be a risk of carrying any disease over, for they cost and the produce you get I would buy new for next year and eat them this/next year. Hello and welcome

[basil]

Thanks for you tip, Gobs, but I am still confused. The small brown ones definitely came from Borltotti bean pods, only drier and more wisened than the ones containing the marbled ones. I thought they might be the next stage of turning to seeds, but perhaps they have gone too far. Any ideas?

Of course, I don't mind buying fresh next year, but as I am new, I kind of fancied the idea of growing from my own seeds, if possible.

[gobs]

Bad beans, then, I would throw those ones out.

Beans are open-pollinated and generally not a problem with cross-pollination, that's why many gardeners save seed from them, you should be all right, there.

However, I personally like to sow some bought seed as well of those things I haven't successfully saved seed from before.

 

[yummy]

My borlotti's were pants this year. They didn't get going til July (due to first lot being ruined by flooding) and hadn't quite enough time left for the beans to swell. I had alot of pods but the contents were still green  and miniscule. I left them as long as I could but the frost finally finished the plants off about a week ago.

[gobs]

I hope you are making use of the beans though, as they won't be affected by some mild frosts, that ruins the plant.

[yummy]

I hope you are making use of the beans though, as they won't be affected by some mild frosts, that ruins the plant.

Started to pod them. They were so tiny (2-3mm) that I got bored after a while and thought what is the point.

[gobs]

My borlotti's were pants this year.

Yu are nt exaggerating there, are you? All beans can be used fr all those purpses, there is n reasn why yu could nt use yurs as green beans, unless yu dn't like them.

There is n pint shelling, f curse at that size.

[yummy]

 there is n reasn why yu could nt use yurs as green beans, unless yu dn't like them.

Ah didn't know I could eat the pods too - will bear that in mind incase I have another 'pants' problem next year    Not seen anyone do that. Only see recipies for the beans.