How long do green beans keep?

[Fert1]

How long do green beans keep in a refrigerator? I ask, because I have a couple of bean pods that are big enough to pick, but most are tiny and will be a while before they are ready. I just wondered how long they will keep while I wait for more to add to them. Yes, it's my first year growing green beans of any kind. So I haven't a clue what I'm doing.

[Zana]

Why not toss those that are ripe in the freezer until others are ripe enough to eat, and then eat them?

[garnetmoth]

beans grow fast, you should be OK. if you keep them in a plastic bag, maybe with a barely damp paper towel, they should be fine for 3-4 days easy.
I thought freezing was best done after blanching, but havent frozen any myself.
good luck

[aninocentangel]

I usually get little batches like that too, and save them in the freezer. When I get a whole big bag I do the blanching thing and either can them or eat them.
If you want to keep them in the fridge and they're whole they'll usually still be okay in a week, although I find that they'll have toughened up.

[Amigatec]

I don't know they never last that long around here.

I have found that frozen green beans tend to get rubbery if not blanched before freezing. I normally can all of mine.

[Fert1]

I hadn't even thought of freezing them. Thanks for the suggestion!

[aninocentangel]

Amigatec, thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't really noticed much of a difference in blanching them pre or post freezing, but I did realize that when I'm using unblanched beans from the freezer I put them in a casserole or soup. Most of the time I can them, which is probably why there isn't much of a difference in texture.

[Fert1]

Well, I have now picked my first 15-20 bean pods. I took the advice to blanch and freeze them. So now I'm just waiting to have more to add to them. The vines are growing like nuts and already 9-10 feet long. Just how long will these things get?

[Amigatec]

I grew some Kentucky Wonder on the fence once, they grew up one side and down the other until they hit the ground.

[aninocentangel]

I grew some italian purple striped pole beans last year on a wire fence, they sprinted to the top and then kind of wrapped themselves into a tangle. I kept them cut back level with the fence because it was difficult to work around the giant knot once it started toppling over. It probably cut their production down, but I still had plenty of beans and they did grow side shoots and kept going. They just wouldn't work with me on growing sideways no matter how hard I trained them.