Your Weekly Electronic Gardening Guide Practical Horticulture for Busy People.

Lima Beans (bush)

About This Plant...

Family: Fabaceae

Genus and species: Phaseolus lunatus

Growing Season: summer

Indoor Sowing...

Time needed to reach transplant size: 3-4 weeks

When to transplant to garden: 1-2 weeks after last spring frost

Outdoor Sowing...

When to sow outdoors: 1-2 weeks after last spring frost

Other Sowing Guidelines...

Approx. germination time: 6-18 days

Germination temp.: 65-85 degrees F.

Sowing depth: 1 inch

Days to maturity: 60-85 days

Transplanting Guidelines...

Spacing between plants: 3-6 inches

Spacing between rows: 18-36 inches

Growing On...

Pests: Mexican bean beetles, Japanese beetles, aphids, leafhoppers, seed corn maggots

Diseases: anthracnose, bacterial blight, nematodes, powdery mildew, viruses, white mold

Harvest: when the pods change color and the beans are fully formed but not dried out; for dried beans, wait until pods are thoroughly dry

Growing tips: dust seed with a soil inoculant at time of sowing; set up trellises before sowing or planting outside