How to Grow Lima Beans
Lima beans (Phaseolus lunatus) are warm-season legumes that produce flat, creamy beans with a distinct buttery flavor, eaten fresh as butter beans or dried for long-term storage. They require warmth, a long growing season, and consistent moisture to produce well, which limits their range compared to green beans, but in appropriate climates they are productive and rewarding.
Climate and Season Requirements
Lima beans need a minimum soil temperature of 18 degrees Celsius to germinate reliably and prefer air temperatures above 21 degrees Celsius through the growing season. They are sensitive to frost at both the beginning and end of the season. In areas with short summers (fewer than 90 frost-free days), only the smallest-seeded bush lima varieties have a reasonable chance of producing before the autumn frost.
In USDA zones 8 through 11, with growing seasons of 120 days or more, lima beans perform excellently. In zones 6 and 7, choose early-maturing bush varieties and start seeds indoors two to three weeks before the last frost date for transplanting when soil has warmed.
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Planting and Support
Lima beans come in bush and pole varieties, as with green beans. Pole limas are more productive over a longer period but need a sturdy trellis capable of supporting vines of 2 to 3 meters or more. Bush limas are lower-maintenance and suited to smaller spaces.
Sow seeds 3 to 4 centimeters deep at 10 to 15 centimeters apart for bush types and 20 to 25 centimeters apart for pole types. Avoid planting in cold wet soil, which rots the seeds before germination.
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Care and Harvest
Lima beans need consistent watering during flowering and pod fill. Dry conditions during these stages cause pods to drop before the beans develop. Like all legumes, they fix their own nitrogen and do not benefit from nitrogen fertilizer applications.
Harvest fresh lima beans when the pods are well-filled and the beans visible through the pod walls, but before the pods begin to yellow or dry. Shell them immediately after harvest or refrigerate unshelled pods for up to a week.