I'm planning to grow pole beans on an A-frame trellis this year, primarily for drying so I can enjoy them during winter. In previous years, I've only picked a few beans to dry in the last weeks of fall by leaving them on the vine, but that didn't yield a lot. I'm hoping to find a way to continually harvest beans throughout the growing season while still drying them effectively. Do I need to let them sit on the vine until they dry completely, or is there a method for picking them at various stages? Also, I'd love to hear suggestions for good drying pole bean varieties suitable for the Twin Cities area. I've heard Seychelles and Fortex are solid options. Thanks for your help!
1 Answer
You can definitely keep harvesting your pole beans as they mature! Just let them dry on the vine after picking them at various stages. It's also worth considering bush bean varieties; they tend to mature all at once, and you can plant them in succession to have a more consistent drying harvest throughout the season.
That's great! So instead of waiting until the end of the season, I can just keep picking and let them dry as I go?