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10-08-2003, 08:33 PM

The message
from (ken cohen) contains these words:

As a first-time gardener, I'm very pleased and proud that the
runner-bean seeds that I planted 10 weeks ago have become vigorous
leafy plants that are now producing flowers and pods. Any advice as
to when the pods are best harvested?

Start picking as soon as there are enough 4" pods for a serving.

Keep picking hard, this encourages the plant to make new beans. It's a
race between you getting as many beans as you can while they are still
tender and tasty, and the plant trying to make seeds. Eventually, the
plant wins.

And what can I expect as to the
next stage in these plants'
life-cycle?

Lots more beans, getting rapidly larger. People getting sick of beans
again with dinner. Neighbours not answering the door as you come down
their path with yet more beans.

Fully grown beans are almost a foot long with rounded bulges down
their sides..and too tough ans stringy to be worth eating. The bulges
are their seeds, the new beans which you can dry in the pods and save to
plant next year.

When the plants have finished cropping, cut them off at ground level
and compost the tops. Leave bean and pea roots in the ground as they
contain nitrogen which benefit the soil.

Janet.