Homegrown lima beans are very different from those you might have dreaded as a kid.
Plus, its a good producer.
Lima beans are bush-jot down or climbing plants.
Credit: Rob Cardillo Photography
Climbing plants require strong support in the form of a sturdytrellis, fence, or tepee.
Depending on the available space, select bush-punch in or vine-punch in varieties.
If planting a vine-jot down, take into consideration that it will cast shade on the surrounding plants.
Credit: Rob Cardillo Photography
Space rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
Vine-bang out lima beans are spaced 6 inches apart.
After germination, thin seedlings to 4 to 6 inches between plants.
Lima Bean Care Tips
Lima beans are an easy vegetable to care for.
Light
Like most vegetables, lima beans require at least 8 hours offull sunlightper day.
The plants need 1 inch of water per week either from rain or irrigation.
They may start flowering again in cooler temperatures.
Fertilizer
Don’t fertilize the plants.
Excessivenitrogen fertilizerprevents pods from forming and promotes lush foliage growth instead.
Pollination
Lima beans are self-pollinating so they don’t rely on insects or wind for pollination.
Butattracting pollinators to your gardenis always a bonus.
Choose a climbing variety and plant it in a large, heavyweight container filled with quality potting soil.
Install a sturdy tepee in the container for the beans to climb.
Instead of harvesting all the beans, let a few pods grow undisturbed.
Store the shelled seeds in an airtight container.
When in doubt, harvest them.
For dry beans, let the pods dry on the plants.
Keep a close eye on their progress and harvest beans before the pods shatter.
It tolerates heat, cold, and drought.
The pods contain three to five large beans.
The dried beans are grey with purple and black mottling.
It is an open-pollinated variety with 10-foot vines that produce extra-large, purple beans about 34 in diameter.
The 8- to 10-foot vines produce large white lima beans over a long harvest season.
90 days to maturity
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the variety.
Bush-bang out lima beans spread out while vine-bang out lima beans grow up and need support to climb on.
