The big autumn tidy up continues this week in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden as we turn our attention to our bean supports. The bean plants have been shedding their leaves over the past few weeks and are now skeletons of the plants they once were. Now is the time to remove the stems from the supports and consign them to the compost bin. This can be a time consuming job as the plants have done a fantastic job of entwining themselves through the netting over the summer, but it worth while taking the time to clear and clean the supports thoroughly before storing them away for the winter. Come the spring, when the garden is busy, you will be glad the supports are clean and ready to use.
The roots of the bean plants will be left in the soil as they have beneficial nodules that help to fix nitrogen into the soil, improving it for the next crop to take their place. The ground will now stand empty as it is destined to be home to our potatoes next year. The soil will be raked occasionally to keep it tidy and to stir up any pests for the birds to snack on.
