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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Green beans in the rain

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Green beans in the rain
  • Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:58:03 -0400

On Aug 11, 2009, at 2:43 PM, Randy James wrote:

<x-tad-smaller> We've finally got our rain after many weeks of hot dry weather. It's raining today and the green beans need harvesting for our CSA. Are there any precautions we should take or should we wait altogether till it's dry again?</x-tad-smaller>


On Aug 11, 2009, at 8:54 PM, <clearviewfarm AT bluefrog.com> wrote:

<x-tad-smaller>I don't know the particulars, but I understand that one should wait until beans are dry before harvest.  I think you will shorten the life of the beans if you pick them wet, but I don't know exactly why.</x-tad-smaller>

If there are diseases present anywhere in the planting, you're more likely to spread them through the rest of the plants if you handle them while they're wet.

The beans themselves store better dry than wet; if packed wet, they're more likely to mold.

Having said that: if it rains all day the day before farmers' market, we pick them anyway; and try to set them somewhere to dry for a bit before packing. I do repeated plantings of bush beans, and don't figure on harvesting any one planting for longer than three to four weeks.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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