Lima and Butter Beans
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting
Lima and Butter Beans
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow lima and butter beans in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- How many lima and butter beans to plant
- Growing conditions for lima and butter beans
- When to plant lima and butter beans
- How to plant lima and butter beans
- Watering, fertilizing, and pruning lima and butter beans
- Companion plantings for lima and butter beans
- How to harvest, store, and use lima and butter beans
Growing Lima and Butter Beans
Lima and its close relatives among the large beans are warm-season annuals.
Both bush and pole varieties bear clusters of pods containing 3–4 large, flat, oval beans, taking longer to mature than other beans. Grow pole varieties on vertical supports in small-space garden to maximize yield from limited growing areas.
Shell and steam fresh beans, or dry them for storage and later use in cooking. Miniature or baby lima cultivars mature quickly but yield smaller beans.
Lima and Butter Beans Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 4–8 plants per household member.
How to Plant
Seed germinates in 7–10 days. Average climates: Sow seed in garden soil in spring when soil warms to 65–85°F (18–29°C). Mild-Winter Climates: Sow seed in autumn and late winter. Bush: Sow seed 1-1/2–2 in. (38–50 mm) deep, 3–6 in. (75–150 mm) apart, thinning to 3 in. (75 mm) apart, in rows 2–3 ft. (60–90 cm) apart. Pole: Sow seed 1-1/2–2 in. (38–50 mm) deep, 6–10 in. (15–25 cm) apart, thinning to 6 in. (15 cm) apart, in rows 30–36 in. (75–90 cm) apart, installing stakes at time of planting. Plant successions.
Best Conditions for Growth
Growing temperature: 60–70°F (16–21°C). Flowers may fail to set fruit at temperatures over 80°F (27°C); cold, wet conditions cause flowers to drop.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy soil. Fertility: Rich. 6.0–6.8 pH. Prepare soil 12–16 in. (30–40 cm) deep. Rotate bean plantings throughout the garden to enrich its soil with nitrogen.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist; avoid wetting foliage to prevent fungal disease of the pods or poor setting of fruit. Apply ample water during the pollination and pod-development stages. Fertilize monthly with 5–10–10 formula or well-rotted manure. Avoid deep cultivation that could cut through the shallow, widespread roots. Powdery mildew susceptible.
Pairing Recommendations
Bush:Celery, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, strawberries, and summer savory. Pole:Scarlet runner beans, corn, summer savory, and sunflowers. Succession planting sequence includes spinach, early radish, lima bean, then beets or potatoes.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
65–80 days. Pole: 80–95 days. Pick pods when first plump for green, shelled beans; when pods are full and begin to wither for drying. Regular picking encourages production of new flowers and a sustained harvest.
How to Store and Preserve
Fresh in vegetable keeper of refrigerator for 1–2 weeks; blanched and frozen, 3–4 months; pickled or canned in a pressure cooker, 2–3 years; dried in porous, fabric bags stored in a cool, dry location, 1 year. Rehydrate dried lima beans by soaking them in hot water at least 4 hours prior to use; beans added directly to soups and stews will remain tough.