[cloddopper]

 Monday night was decidedly cold most likely close to freezing point , last night was not quite so cold this afternoon was " Tee shirt warm ".
 I noticed this afternoon that  all the climbing beans to seven feet tall  and peas to four feet tall were showing signs of cold distress .

When you get that lifeless floppy leaf look it's time to harvest everything save for a few pods that you're going to take seeds from , leave those as long as you dare so as much goodness as possible can go into the seeds but  harvest the seeds pods before they turn black lank or mouldy if the weather turns wet .

I was quite dissapointed with the kidney beans . It's been so cold during he growing season that they have grown far too slowly , instead of them being like racing snakes.  This has resulted in smaller pods and beans , most of the beans developing the tough plates in the pods so it's like chewing raw armadillo's .
 
To try and rescue things I've shelled about 10 pounds of beans   and put the beans in the fridge ready for making into chili con carne on Friday .. None of the beans showed enough growth to set any aside for seeds in fact most of the actual beans were underdeveloped and had only recently turned pink .

 The two types of peas haven't fared much better . 
All the mange tout ( 2 pounds in shells )   stopped growing a week or more ago & started to show brown on the pods & leaves but as the pods were still mainly a bloated soft fleshy pod the only thing to do was to crop the lot,  shell & save a few of the big seeds for drying  off for next years stock
 
The bog standard peas have done much better , their time is up too  &  most have gone really hard in the shells so instead of being round they are more a Stilton cheeses shape with two flat sides .  Some of these have also been selected for next year stock and are in the airing cupboard drying off as i speak along with the other pea seeds.

I think I am going to attempt to turn all the peas ( nearly 2 pounds )  into mushy peas .... if I can find out how to make them like chip shop style mushies.

I hope to then pressure can them in small single portion Weck jars as I'm the only one in the home who loves mushy peas hot , cold or fried 

 I don't want them to become Pease Pudding though ( can any one explain the difference?)

 Has anyone in South Wales had a better or worse legume crop this year?

[pgkevet]

My last crop of peas was pulled 2 days ago... suddenly advancing mildew which has also hit the courgettes which are resisting it at the moment. Beans are fine so far. Mid wales.

[Fleecewife]

We had 2 degrees the other night too, but most stuff, apart from broad beans, peas, potatoes and brassicas are in the tunnel. 
I've been doing the same as you though but because red mite suddenly appeared on various veg.  We have had big problems with red mite for the past couple of years, but have managed to keep it at bay this year til now.  It first appeared on the cucumbers, then on the flowers and tassels of the sweetcorn and now on the climbing beans.  Everything has gone on the bonfire - plants, canes, string, weeds, and over the winter we'll strip the whole place down, pressure wash and spray with incesticidal (oh, that's a good typo - I meant insecticidal of course  ) soap.  The tomatoes so far are untouched, as are the peppers.
Altogether though this has been a fairly rubbish year for us in the south of Scotland - cold, wet, little sunshine, and now cold again after a couple of days of summer.  My broad beans did brilliantly, summer brassicas got carried away with themselves and ran to seed before we could eat them.  My raised beds were a bit of a disaster, although they have given a great carrot crop.  The tomatoes simply won't ripen, but have grown massive foliage.  Lettuce failed earlier in the year and I didn't bother after that.

2016 is another year in the garden 

[uksfdawn]

I am still picking runners, second lot of peas on the go seem to be doing alright, french beans are finished, I did experiment with a 3ft row of lentils and chickpeas, lentils have formed pods the chick peas plenty of flowers none set, next year going to do a good planting of both, I have cleared out the Mange Tout and saved some seed, some of the seed got damp and started to sprout so I have popped them in the poly tunnel they are coming on great, had a really good crop of broad beans this year and have dried some seed for next year, same with the peas. 

[Lesley Silvester]

My French beans didn't come through and the runners didn't do very well. I really should have done something to improve the soil before planting. Lots of manure to go in this autumn ready for next year. We did have some of the beans for dinner today though and they were lovely. I'm hoping to get another crop or two yet.

[cloddopper]

 Fleeece wife perhaps strip the tom plants of all but the top few leaves , that way the light available should help ripen what's left on the vine as thee will be little or no shading to stop it.

 Alison went in the glasshouse to get me a big green capsicum pepper as I was making 1kg of stewing beef into Hungarian goulash .
 She said , Sorry love ,this is the biggest there is the others have either gone rotten or appear to have been eaten by slugs .
I checked them on Wednesday afternoon & everything was OK

 I sliced the pepper in half ready to take the seeds out and bugger me if there wasn't two big fat brown slugs inside it chomping away at the seed core/stem.

Puzzled by the slugs being inside the pepper I looked a lot more carefully a the pepper & noticed a tiny , tiny light brown pin prick on the outside of the pepper it had gone right through eh wall of the pepper .. that's where the baby slugs had got in ...Arrrraghhhh! ..........BTD'S.
 

[cloddopper]

I am still picking runners, second lot of peas on the go seem to be doing alright, french beans are finished, I did experiment with a 3ft row of lentils and chickpeas, lentils have formed pods the chick peas plenty of flowers none set, next year going to do a good planting of both, I have cleared out the Mange Tout and saved some seed, some of the seed got damp and started to sprout so I have popped them in the poly tunnel they are coming on great, had a really good crop of broad beans this year and have dried some seed for next year, same with the peas. 

 That's interesting .
 Did you grow the lentils & chick peas in the poly tunnel?
 Where did you get your seeds from ?

I've turned  the two pounds of peas save for a hand full of drying for seed mangetout and snow peas into chip shop style mushies and frozen the result in small heat sealed vac pac's
 
Next year I want to try growing my own marrowfat peas , for the mushy peas have a " petite pois " sort of aroma & taste  and I'm not too keen on that at all .

[uksfdawn]

The Chickpeas and Lentils I got from the garden center (Wyvale) they are 50p a pack now, I tried them in the tunnel as an experiment next year I will do a proper planting outside a friend has grown a nice bed of chick peas outside this year and they set pods.

[Lesley Silvester]

The Chickpeas and Lentils I got from the garden center (Wyvale) they are 50p a pack now, I tried them in the tunnel as an experiment next year I will do a proper planting outside a friend has grown a nice bed of chick peas outside this year and they set pods.

I love chick peas so I might have a go at this. Hope our local Wyevale has the seeds.

[princesslayer]

On the subject of legumes, my peas are all grey and mildewy. What have I done there? Is it just the recent wet, or is it just late in the season now?
My French beans did hopelessly this year, and my runners started very late due to black fly attack. I'm still picking beans now.

Def want to try some chickpeas next year!

[pgkevet]

Each of my pea crops goes mildewy at the end of its cycle whatever time of year they're planted...I assume they just get older as crops and lose resilience... any pods would be full of pea moth by then anyway (the vector?). I rip them out at first sign.
french and climbing beans getting old now but heavy cropped.. runner still going. Sweetcorn disaster with a great crop eaten by the wildlife. I had planned on freezing my usual 100 cobs... none in the feezer this year.. all in the phaesants and hares.

[princesslayer]

I did sweetcorn for first time this year. Knowing when to pick was my biggest hurdle. Many of the cobs were ok but some we're underdeveloped I think, or one sided. I'm in the warm south. How long can you leave them? Will the frosts ruin them?

[pgkevet]

Pick when the silk has gone black and shrivelled. Partial cobs mean poor pollination... grow in a block.

[cloddopper]

On the subject of legumes, my peas are all grey and mildewy. What have I done there? Is it just the recent wet, or is it just late in the season now?
My French beans did hopelessly this year, and my runners started very late due to black fly attack. I'm still picking beans now.

Def want to try some chickpeas next year!

 It's the cold 7 wet weather . you need to keep an eye on all your crops  if possible giving them the eyeball once or more every day .

 Try to pick every few days don't leave the peas on the vine too long unless you are hoping to get them off for dried peas . Picking peas often every few days allows the vine to produce more flowers for more peas .
Leaving them on the vine  sees the flower production slow & stop as the plant will have fulfilled it purpose in the cycle of nature by making the seeds . ( Same applies to almost all bean & pea crops )
 
As soon as the pods started to change colour if they were full of peas I would have harvested the lot and left the vines standing if there were any flowers on .

[princesslayer]

Thanks. I'm not going to do them successionally next year, just do a load all at once and put them in the freezer! Will have to pick for a while but won't be for so long so I can keep on top of it.