How to prune 'borlotto' bean

Tip-pinch if needed in mid-summer; harvest pods regularly from midsummer onward. Snip the growing tip cleanly above a leaf node if the plant exceeds its support. For fresh borlotto, harvest when pods are plump and streaked red-and-cream. For dried beans, leave pods to fully mature and dry on the plant.

Minimal — tip-pinch once if needed; pod harvesting every few days at peak. 'Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco' is typically grown as a bushy climbing or semi-climbing annual. It needs very little pruning. Pinch out the tip if it overtops its support. The main 'pruning' task is regular pod harvesting — leaving pods to mature fully signals the plant to stop flowering. Remove spent foliage as it yellows.

Snip the growing tip cleanly above a leaf node if the plant exceeds its support. For fresh borlotto, harvest when pods are plump and streaked red-and-cream. For dried beans, leave pods to fully mature and dry on the plant.