Fresh from the pod, this long bean seed was planted immediately.

Remember my poor long bean plant that was attacked by a caterpillar? Well, all those forming beans didn’t quite make it to adulthood (read: the cooking pot). We harvested a few early, but the smaller ones had quite a struggle to grow bigger, and that’s when the plant’s survival instinct kicked in.

Instead of growing the beans bigger, the plant focused its energy on producing as many seeds as it could. It was a little sad to see the scrawny beans on the plant, but I waited until the skin was thinner and the seeds were bulky before plucking the beans to harvest seeds.

I’ve never planted seeds from freshly plucked beans, and I was happy to see them germinate within 2 to 7 days. So, the next generation is on the way …if the snails leave them alive long enough!

The little forest of new long bean plants.

The main plant is still hanging around. It still looks quite pathetic as I pruned away the stems that didn’t look good, and is left with one very long stem that still has some leaves on it. I’m not sure if it will recover, but it’s in such pathetic condition that it doesn’t warrant a picture right now.

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