Borlotti beans: when to pick and how to dry?

[grahamhobbs]

My Borlotti beans, the non-climbing ones, are coming along nicely, loads of pods. These were sown 7 June. But the climbing variety sown 18 May - nothing, well a few flowers but no pods. This is the first time I've grown the climbing sort and they got a bit attacked by slugs at first and got set back, but that was a long time ago now, but it seems they have just sulked ever since.

Incidentally I'm growing butter beans for the first time, these also were very slow to start producing pods compared with the runner beans, but they now seem to be getting into their stride, hopefully by October they will be full of plump pods.

Also autumn seems to have arrived early, my pumkins are showing signs of packing up, fortunately they did well earlier on.

[Millymollymandy]

Mine too Graham and most are now indoors sitting on a sunny windowsill, (the potimarrons not the butternuts) as they just broke off the stems anyway. But the plants have all got mildew. And there is no sun today!