I’ll be posting a reflective gardening post soon, but my attention is currently on dismantling this past summer’s garden. Over the last couple of years I’ve grown runner beans, which grow about 20 feet to the top of lantern hooks on my deck. Dad would always marvel at their height! Their pretty flowers attract many butterflies, pollinators, and the occasional hummingbird.
(Pics below from August 2024; the recent frosts have decimated them now)
Tonight I will be chopping down the beanstalk and gathering dried beans. We ate the beans the first year, and they’re okay sautéed with garlic, but they’re kind of big, hairy, and tough (Skye gives a tentative sniff below). I prefer the bush beans (purple and yellow) for enjoying as a side for dinners- much more tender.
With no plans to eat the beans next year but simply grow them for flowers and our pollinators, I am able to harvest the magic beans 🫘✨and set them aside for next year’s planting. They are gorgeous and humongous! Fairytale-worthy, indeed. ❤️
