dwarf beans

[Patf]

These are ready to pick now and there are loads .

Is there any advantage in leaving the plants in the soil after picking? It's much easier to pull the plants up and strip them standing or sitting, rather than bending over for ages. Pat.

[andyh4]

If you pick as the pods just reach full size, the plants should produce more flowers and pods. 

If you are growing to dry the beans and are discarding the pods, then you need to leave the beans growing longer, but you might still get a second crop from the plants.

[Patf]

Thanks Andy, and yes I can see that would be an advantage for some people. But there are far too many for us anyway, even if freezing them.

I had an idea that the plants put something back into the soil if you dug them in? Pat.

[babcock]

Beans fix nitrogen in the soil while they are growing but I am not sure that digging them in would make any further improvement.

[Rozmum]

I watched a programme about growing veggies on the television this week which said that when beans of all sorts have stopped producing it is best to cut off the stalks about an inch from the soil and leave the roots in so that they can do their magic in the soil..  Hope this helps

[Patf]

That sounds a good idea. So I'll cut the plants off and then strip off the beans. Thanks to all. Pat.