How to Harvest Pole Beans for Winter use

Beans are a warm season crop and should be planted in early spring when there is no danger of another frost. The seeds take about seven to 10 days to germinate, and before you know it you'll have a crop of this delicious summer vegetable for the whole family to enjoy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Check your pole beans daily for harvesting. They're ready when the pods are plump, firm and crisp, and the beans inside are still small. It takes about 65 days for most varieties to get to this stage.
2. Pick the beans daily and be sure to harvest every single pod; this way they'll be sure to keep producing. If you leave just one pod on the vine, the plant thinks it's time to stop production and it dries up.
3. Remove beans only when they're thoroughly dry. Picking beans when they're wet can spread a serious disease called bean bacterial blight. Be careful not to break the stems and branches, which are fairly brittle.
4. Cool the beans quickly by getting them out of the sun and into a cool place--about 45 degrees F. Lay them out on a sheet and manually separate the beans from the pods. Can, freeze or dry the beans to make them last throughout the year.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant pole beans 1-inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart.
• Stagger the planting of pole beans into two week intervals to spread your harvest throughout the spring.

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