broadbean size

what size should the beans be on my suttons ? Just picked some where the pods looked swollen and one had a bit of a brown tinge on it. I want to keep ontop of the harvesting so they produce well. But when shelled the beans were about 2 to 3 times the size of a baked bean so should I leave them on longer or is that the normal size.
Am I meant to wait until the pods start to burst ?

 

Hi there.

I'd say they are usually around 1"? I find that the cropping period doesn't last long, maybe 3 weeks? It's very important to keep them well watered at this point, especially considering it's been dry for quite some time.

Cheers...Freddy

 

Just to add, you'll find that they won't necessarily all be the same size in the pod

 

Sometimes the variety can also determin what size the beans will be and if so they won't be large and the plants stay a compact size.{The sutton does this}

We grow Bunyards Exhibition and find that the plants grow tall plus the beans are large in the pods.Aquadulce Claudia a winter bean grows fairly tall and has good filled pods.

 

Thanks every one well they tasted great regardless of size

 

We pick ours small - we think they taste much nicer small rather than like "hard bullets" if they are left on the plant to get larger.