Clear away beans

Runner and French beans have finished cropping and if you haven’t done so already, the plants can be pulled up and the canes cleared of foliage and cleaned and stored. The roots may have nodules that contain bacteria that add nitrogen to the soil so there’s no need to dig out the roots, just pull it all up and anything left can stay and nourish the soil. Runner beans have tuberous roots that can be stored like dahlias for replanting next spring, but it’s not always worth the effort. Any brown pods on plants can be dried and used for seeds to sow next year.