Harvesting Beans
Every year we are contacted by those growing beans for shellout or dry beans, rather than the green beans we are used to.
Beans are no different to any other seed crops, and in the end it is the seeds we are harvesting.When seeds grow they get bigger and bigger and at some point they begin drying, pods and all, and they dry until they are cracking dry and ready to harvest.
Beans like all other seeds can be left on the vines until very dry, then harvested.
They can also, like all other seed pods, be harvested earlier. Usually when beans and other pods have finished growing and getting larger, they will be colourful and vibrant, until the point where they begin drying. As soon as they begin drying they begin losing their colour and slowly going dull and dry. Once they are clearly going dry you can pick them and finish drying them in a greenhouse or similar until they are totally dry.
They don’t have to all be harvested at one time, and if they are already drying on the vines, and a lot of rain is coming, I would be harvesting them and drying inside.