Pods near the base of each bush were allowed to develop and mature, and have now been harvested and stored for replanting. Lovely to sit in the sun, breaking open crumbly, course packages of a dirty black, to expose their silky, fluff-encrusted interiors, and nestling inside, sides of creamy yellow with tints, variously, of pink and pale green.
This seasons beans were planted into one of the veg beds (Bed 4) but also, on a whim and forgotten until they sprouted, were some sown beside one of the orchard fruit trees. Those, with some judicious pulling of surrounding capeweed, proved a pretty good competitor for that vigorous weed, and has hopefully done its bit to enrich (fix nitrogen in) the soil. There, the chopped up plants 'turned' into the soil were a touch of welcome green manure, though hardly turned, really, given the hardness of these beds - more crushed down and broken up a bid and pushed into the surface, with a mulch laid over.
In the veg bed, plants were more thoroughly chopped and turned into the bed before replanting. Not sure if it's wishful thinking, but the new crops immediately planted there, largely of greens (a cucumber mound surrounded by endive, silver beet and leeks), seem to have got off to a great start. This is despite seedlings being planted out just as the first stretch of searing summer weather in this oddest of summers. While a bit of careful watering of tender seedlings, and some shading from the worst of heat with reed sheets, helped, these plants are looking very healthy. Remaining endives planted in an adjoining bed, under tomato and eggplant bushes, are noticably smaller, less bright and curly - I would have thought the shelter/shade of the small existing plants would have given those the better start. Perhaps the beans are already 'giving back' ....
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