Harvesting & Storing Beans

Days to harvest

French Beans

• ready within 2-3 months of sowing

Runner Beans

• take at least 100 days to harvest

Cues to harvest

French Beans

• Green Beans
  • harvested young, slender, and tender
  • as soon as the pods start appearing, start picking; the youngest & smallest beans taste best
  • keep picking regularly, at least 2-3 times per week, the more you pick, the more they will put out (as long as they are still flowering)
  • harvest before the seeds start bulging, when the beans snap off the plant and snap in half cleanly
  • continual harvest is essential for prolonged bean production
  • Bush, or dwarf, varieties should be picked when they are 1/4" - 3/8" diameter
  • Filet varieties should be picked daily, and pick them before they get over 1/8" in diameter, for peak flavor