It is ideal to allow pods to dry on the vine but there are two reasons to not do this.

Real cold weather can damage seed that has not fully dried.

And rain can damage seed.

A lot of beans have pods that get plump with seed then change color and get soft to signal that seeds are ready. I often pick them at that point and let the pods dry in a warm place.

Fortex does not send out these signals as much as others but the seeds can be harvested when the pods are soft. I like to let the pods dry before shelling so that the seeds dry out slowly and do not wrinkle from drying too fast.

Dick

Alisande this is the way I do it. I try to leave beans on the vine until brittle dry but because of lousy weather this year I picked most of mine when they felt full of seed and the shells felt quite thin and leathery.
I like to let them dry to the brittle stage on screens under a fan before shelling, the pods that weren't looking so good I shelled them right away and dried the beans under a slow moving fan, there was a bit of wrinkling on some of the seed but the seed will still be viable.
Barksdale was very late forming beans, I left them in the garden as long as possible pulling the vines just before the rain started and hung them in the greenhouse until the pods were brittle dry before shucking. This gave them a little more time to mature before shelling. Hope this helps.

Annette

Thanks, Dick and Annette. Based on your advice, I think it's a little early yet. But I'll keep an eye on them. It's raining as I write this.....

I've saved many kinds of bean seeds and it has been easy. Except one. This year I grew Red Noodle. The mature pods are thick and pulpy. The pods take a long time to dry. Whether I let the pods dry completely or remove the seeds and dry them outside the pod, the seeds shrivel badly. All other beans I've grown could be removed from the pod any time after full maturity and would shrink but remain smooth. What is different about Red Noodle?

Jim

Jim, it sounds like the seeds simply didn't mature enough before harvest. In my experience, with another variety of yard long, I can hardly make a seed harvest from the middle of September onwards; and that, even if the vines continue setting pods. The seeds simply don't fill out. They have to form while it's HOT. Perhaps this is what caused your problem.

George
Tahlequah, OK