Common names: bean, lima bean, butter bean, civit bean

Botanical name: Phaseolus lunatus

Origin: South Mexico, Central America

Varieties
Bush lima: Burpee Improved Bush (75 days); Fordhook 242 (75 days) - both resistant to bean mosaic; Allgreen (67 days); Thorogreen (66 days). Pole lima: King of the Garden (90 days); Prizetaker (90 days).

Description
This tender, large-seeded annual bean grows as either a bush or a vine. With this type of bean the mature seed is eaten, not the entire pod. Lima beans need warmer soil than snap beans in order to germinate properly, and they need higher temperatures and a longer growing season for a good crop. Bush lima beans are generally easier to handle than pole varieties; bushes grow only one to two feet tall, and they mature earlier. Pole beans require a trellis for support; they grow more slowly, but produce more beans per plant.

Where and when to grow
Lima beans require warm soil (five days at a minimum temperature of 65°F) to germinate, and should be planted two weeks after the average date of last spring frost.  Use the length of your growing season and the number of days the variety takes to mature to figure your latest planting date. If you need to sow before your area's average last frost date, start the seed indoors in peat pots and transplant them when the soil has warmed up. Time your planting so the beans will mature before very hot weather; they will not set pods at temperatures over 80°F. Plant bush beans every two weeks to extend the harvest, or start with bush beans and follow up with pole beans. Because limas need a long stretch of pleasant weather, the slower-growing pole varieties are difficult to raise successfully where the growing season is short.

How to plant
After the last frost is over, choose a bed in full sunlight; beans tolerate partial shade, but partial shade tends to mean a partial yield. Prepare the soil by mixing in a pound of 5-10-10 fertilizer; don't use a highnitrogen fertilizer, because too much nitrogen will promote growth of the foliage but not of the beans. Plant seeds of all varieties an inch deep. If you're planting bush limas, plant the seeds two inches apart in rows at least 18 to 24 inches apart. Seeds of pole beans should be planted four to six inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart, or plant them in inverted hills, five or six seeds to a hill, with 30 inches of space around each hill. For pole varieties, set supports or trellises at the time of planting. When the seedlings are growing well, thin the plants to four to six inches  apart. Cut the seedlings with scissors at ground level; be careful not to disturb the others. Beans don't mind being a little crowded; in fact, they'll use each other for support.

Fertitizing and watering
Beans set up a mutual exchange with soil microorganisms called nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which help them produce their own fertilizer. Some gardeners recommend that if you haven't grown beans in the plot before, you should treat the bean seeds before planting with a nitrogenfixing bacteria inoculant to help them convert organic nitrogen compounds into usable organic compounds. This is a perfectly acceptable practice, but it isn't really necessary; the bacteria in the soil will multiply quickly enough once they've got a growing bean plant to work with. Fertilize before planting and again at midseason, at the same rate as the rest of the garden. Bean seeds may crack and germinate poorly when the moisture content of the soil is too high. Don't soak the seeds before planting, and don't water immediately afterward. Keep the soil moist until the beans have pushed through the ground. Water regularly if there is no rain, but avoid getting water on the flowers; this can cause the flowers and small pods to fall off. You can mulch to conserve moisture when the soil temperature reaches 60°F.

Special handling
Don't handle bean plants when they're wet or covered with heavy dew; handling or brushing against them when they're wet spreads fungus spores. Cultivate thoroughly but with care, so you don't disturb the bean plants' shallow root systems. If you're planting pole beans, set the trellis or support in position before you plant or at the same time. If you wait until the plants are established, you risk damaging the roots when you set the supports. Make sure the support will be tall enough for the variety of beans you're planting. The large lima bean seed sometimes has trouble pushing through the soil, although this should not happen if the soil is well worked. If your soil tends to cake, you can cover the seeds with sand, vermiculite, or a peat moss/vermiculite mix instead.

Pests
Beans may be attacked by aphids, bean beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, and mites. Aphids, leafhoppers, and mites can be controlled chemically by spraying with Malathion or Diazinon. Bean beetles and flea beetles can be controlled chemically by spraying with carbaryl. Beans are almost always attacked by large numbers of pests that cannot be controlled by organic methods. This doesn't mean the organic gardener can't grow them, but yields may be lower if only organic controls are used.

Diseases
Beans are susceptible to blight. mosaic, and anthracnose. You can cut down on the incidence of disease by planting diseaseresistant varieties when they're available, maintaining the general health of your garden, and avoiding handling the plants when they're wet. If a plant does become infected, remove and destroy it so it cannot spread disease to healthy plants.

When and how to harvest
Time from planting to harvest is about 60 to 75 days for bush limas and 85 to 110 days for pole limas. Harvest when the pods are plump and firm; if you leave them too long the beans will get tough and mealy. If you pick the pods promptly, limas will continue to yield until the first frost. In warmer climates, bush limas should give you two or three pickings.

Storing and preserving
Unshelled lima beans can be kept up to one week in the refrigerator. Shelled lima beans freeze satisfactorily; they can also be canned or dried. Dried shelled limas can be stored  in a cool, dry place for 10 to 12  months.

Serving suggestions
Try limas raw for an unusual treat. Serve them in a salad with thinly sliced red onion, parsley, and a vinaigrette dressing, or marinate them for 24 hours in oil, lemon juice, and freshly chopped dill. Cook limas just until tender and serve with a creamy sauce. For a tangy treatment, bake them in a casserole with honey, mustard, and yogurt. When you're preparing the soil for planting, dig in a complete, well-balanced fertilizer at the rate of one pound per 100 square feet or 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Because the only seeds you may be able to get are not very reliable in growth, plant.