French beans cropping too early

[Terryr]

Hi There

Due to the excellent weather in Scotland my green beans are some two to three weeks ahead. We are off for three weeks holidays and I believe I could lose quite a bit of the crop. We have no one who can pick them. Do you think if I removed flowers and some mini pods that might delay them for a bit or might that damage the plants?

Cheers
Terryr

[Two_Sheds]

you can't take holidays in the summer if you're a gardener!

Beans form really quickly, so picking off all the flowers now isn't going to make a lot of difference, however you can use them as flageolet beans if the seeds inside get big. I don't eat my beans green, I grow them all for the seeds inside: immature ones are frozen, mature ones are dried & stored in jars
to eat as "kidney" beans

[Terryr]

you can't take holidays in the summer if you're a gardener!

Beans form really quickly, so picking off all the flowers now isn't going to make a lot of difference, however you can use them as flageolet beans if the seeds inside get big. I don't eat my beans green, I grow them all for the seeds inside: immature ones are frozen, mature ones are dried & stored in jars
to eat as "kidney" beans

Try telling that to my wee wife Two Sheds

Thanks for that. I think I will try "pruning" half the plants and see how it goes.

Terryr

[alldigging]

Can you get someone to pick them and eat them for you?