Green beans are one of the best vegetables to grow in your garden. They are easy to grow, they taste great and they are a vegetable that everyone loves.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about green beans and how to grow them in your garden.
When To Harvest Green Beans
Green beans can be harvested at any time during the growing season. If you want young, tender beans, harvest them early in the season before they have had time to mature fully. If you want more mature beans, wait until the end of summer or early autumn when they have grown larger and have been exposed to more sunlight and heat.
The best way to tell if your green beans are ready for picking is by looking at them carefully. If you see a flower forming on one side (or both sides) it means that the bean is ready for harvesting as it has reached its full size and will not grow any longer after being picked.
When to Harvest Green Beans for Fresh Eating
There are a few ways to tell if your green beans are ready for harvest. You can check them individually by breaking open the pods and examining the beans inside, but this is obviously time-consuming.
You can also wait until you see a yellowish color starting to appear on some of the younger leaves—a sure sign that they’re getting ready to produce more seeds than you’ll want to eat. To save time and energy, though, I recommend just looking at the length of your bean plants: harvest them when they’re at least four inches long (or larger) and before they start turning yellow or drooping over.
If you end up snipping off any “overmature” green bean after harvesting your crop, try making this amazing vegan green bean casserole recipe!
When to Harvest Green Beans for Drying/Canning
Pick green bean pods when their seeds are still immature but the pods have begun to turn yellow or brown. The pods should snap easily when bent between your fingers, but shouldn’t feel soft or mushy.
Harvest the beans by snapping off the ends of the vines with your hands or cutting them off with a sharp knife. Don’t cut too many at once; doing so will cause the plant to stop producing new beans. Instead, harvest sparingly over several weeks so that the plants have time to mature more pods before they die back completely in fall.
When Is The Best Month To Harvest Green Beans?
The best month to harvest green beans is from June through August. This is when they are at their peak of flavor and nutrition. If you grow your own garden, this is the time to start harvesting your green beans.
If you have an abundance of green beans, it’s a good idea to dry them out in paper bags or on screens so that they don’t rot or get moldy before you can use them all up.
Can You Harvest Green Beans Too Early?
Yes, definitely. If you do it too early, they will be small, tough, and bitter. When you’re ready to harvest your green beans, look for the pods to start turning yellowish-green or even brown in color. The flowers at the top of the plant should also be starting to turn brown.
When picking your green beans don’t pull off all of them from one plant at once—this can cause it stress and damage its root system by breaking it off at ground level instead of leaving some roots intact so they have something left over which they can grow new plants from next year!
How to Harvest Green Beans
Harvest green beans when the pods are bright green and tender. If you wait too long, the beans will turn yellow and become fibrous.
You can use several methods to harvest green beans from your garden:
Cutting: Cut the tops off the plants when they reach about 6 inches tall. You can harvest individual stems or cut the entire plant at once. This method works well if you have a small space or a limited growing area.
Picking: Pick individual beans as needed with your hands or a knife or pruning shears between each plant row as needed as well as pick larger amounts of beans when preparing meals throughout the week. If you have a large number of fresh beans on hand and know that they will not be eaten before they spoil, freeze them instead of storing them in the refrigerator — this prevents them from becoming too soft and mushy before it’s time to cook them.
Storing Green Beans After Harvesting
Green beans are easy to grow in the garden and make a great addition to your diet. They’re also easy to preserve for use during the winter months or to give away as gifts. Here are some methods for storing green beans after harvesting:
Blanching
One of the best ways to store green beans is by blanching them. This means that you cook them briefly in boiling water, then immerse them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Immerse them in an airtight container with a wet paper towel on top, then place them in the refrigerator for up to three days before eating.
Dehydrating
You can also dehydrate green beans by placing them on a cookie sheet and leaving them out in the sun for several hours until they are completely dry. Then place them in an airtight container and store them in a cool place where there is very little humidity (such as inside your home). This will keep your green beans from spoiling and make it easier for you to rehydrate when ready to eat.
Freezing
You can also freeze green beans after harvesting them, but they tend not to hold up quite as well once frozen and thawed compared to other vegetables like corn or peas. If you plan to freeze your green beans, it’s best not to wash them first — just snap off the ends of the bean pods before freezing them whole or cut them into pieces so they’re easy to defrost when you need them later on!
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have helped you get a better idea of when to harvest green beans. Now that you know what to look for in your garden, go out there and start picking!