Those pods look immature, and appear to be diseased. I'm guessing that the vines don't look too well either? It is unlikely that the pods in the photo will produce viable seed.

Thanks for your help zeedman. Yes, the vines are almost all shot and dead. I guess I will have to trash them and buy seeds again next year.

Fortex is very susceptible to a few diseases that hit hard here in the southeast. If all your beans look like the photo, then I agree with Zeedman that it would be best to purchase fresh seed. It is best to set aside 2 or 3 plants solely to produce seed and let all the pods produced mature for seed. Trying to harvest beans to eat and then save seed from the dregs at the end of the season is not effective with Fortex.

As an aside, I crossed Fortex to a highly disease tolerant Central American variety with hopes of combining heat and disease tolerance with Fortex good eating quality. I have F3 seed saved for next year.

Thank you Fusion Power. I was out looking at the poor looking Fortex beans hanging on the vines today and decided that what you suggested would be best. Set a couple of vines aside and save seed from those at the beginning of the season rather than waiting until the end when they might not be as disease free.