My favourite form of runner beans are the mature depodded beans themselves - they're starting to be ready now, and I'll be drying some for next year's seed, drying some for the store cupboard, and probably freeze some too...
If I was at all tempted to feel guilty at composting garden produce, I'd remind myself of the enormous waste that would have arisen from not growing them at all...
...and there's always the community fridge to take them to...
The community fridge - now that’s a good idea. I believe there is one in the nearby town so I’ll check that out.
Sorry, B-M, but chutneys and their relatives do nothing for me. I get given them often enough, and weird jams too, but they migrate to the back of the larder and are usually given marching orders when Mrs Cotto and I cull out of date packets and jars in the annual inspection.
I couldn't keep up with my runner beans last year and had no room left in the freezer (passata gets priority. I am too chicken to attempt bottling it). This is one reason why I stuck to French beans this year. I don't seem to get bored of them. I too did eat podded runner beans least year and really rather liked them. But overall I prefer French beans. It's probably a good thing, though, that hardly any of my dwarf ones germinated and it was too late to sow more. I am only just keeping up with the climbers, eating them most days. I fear they will soon get away from me unless I start picking more and freezing.
Why feel guilty? What for? If you had grown a rose bush instead of those beans you wouldn't feel guilty about cutting the dead flowers off and putting them in the compost would you? Your growing that plant didn't deprive anyone else of the seeds to grow their own, nor did it steal their water or space so nothing to feel guilty about.
Why feel guilty? What for? If you had grown a rose bush instead of those beans you wouldn't feel guilty about cutting the dead flowers off and putting them in the compost would you? Your growing that plant didn't deprive anyone else of the seeds to grow their own, nor did it steal their water or space so nothing to feel guilty about.
That's what I was trying to say - very well put.
As
a thought experiment, I've imagining how it might be to grow runner
beans for the flowers, and deadheading them before they go to seed...
Hubby says the same about my tomatoes,but I only grow them in quarter trays but like a couple of different varieties. Runner beans grown late as an afterthought couldn't find the beans. Found some collected in 2017,didn't hold much hope,only put a few plants up half a dozen canes. We put them outside, along with tomato plants,any spare apples,pears. My friend next door thought it was weird,I don't care and they went. I make and freeze different tomato sauces. Last year an Italian tomato soup also frozen.
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The easy alternative is to grow fewer beans....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...