LATIN NAME: Phaseolus lunatus (P. limensis)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Beautiful pearly green lima beans with their mealy, chestnut-flavored flesh can be eaten when fresh and tender from their shells or allowed to mature into a dried storage bean. Like green beans, lima bean plants come in 2 forms - bush or pole - but they require a warmer climate. Bush types bear 2 weeks earlier than pole types and don’t need staking or trellising; pole types bear longer once they begin.
GERM. DATE: Late May
GERM. TIME: 7-14 days
TRANSPLANT DATE: Early June
TYPE OF PLANT: Vegetable
BLOOM CYCLE:
pH LEVEL: 6.5
SEED DEPTH: 2 inch
HEIGHT OF PLANT:
WIDTH OF PLANT:
PLANT SPACING: 6 inches
ROW SPACING: 18-30 inches
DAYS TO HARVEST: 70 days
ZONE REQUIREMENTS:
FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS:
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Full sun
WATER REQUIREMENTS: Moist
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Average, well-drained soil
DISEASE PROBLEMS: Mildew, Anthracnose
PEST/INSECT PROBLEMS: Mites, Bean Beetles
SOLUTIONS:
HOW TO GROW: Plant 2 weeks after average date of last frost. Plant seeds 1 inch deep in moist soil; don’t water until they sprout. For bush limas, space seeds 3 inches apart in rows spaced 18 to 24 inches. For pole limas, space seeds 4 to 6 inches apart in rows spaced 30 to 36 inches, beside 6-foot trellis. May not set pods during high summer temperatures.
HARVEST NOTES: Harvest when beans are plump within pod for fresh eating. Harvest dried limas as you would dry shell beans.
SPECIAL CARE/NOTES: Needs warmer climate than snap or dried beans.
STORE BY: Refrigerate unshelled for up to 1 week.
PRESERVE BY:
USES FOR PLANT: Can be eaten fresh, cooked, or dried.
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