Lima Beans

[rockytopsis]

Does anyone here grow them, if so what kind? are they hybrids? are they easy to grow?

I had the first ones yesterday at a friends house and they were great! (Only ever had the store canned ones and they are yucky) The ones my friends grows are hybrids and he says not that easy to grow.

Any info would be helpful as I am planning my garden for next year.

Nancy

 

[allabout]

These were this summer's bush lima beans in the two center rows with the small white blooms.

I sent my husband to the feed store and told him to pick me up some bush beans. I wanted bush grean beans and they gave him bush lima beans. (Learned something on that one) Soooo, I have no idea what kind they are but if I had to guess I'm thinking they are Hendersons.

Lima beans come in bush, (see above), or "pole" which is the running type that you have to prepare for the vines to climb the pole or trellis due to them growing up to 7-8 feet!!! My favorite pole bean is Willow-leaf but everyone has a favorite.

Lima beans are a annual plant that can been planted easily in zones 4-10. I find them to be drought tolerent but the little aphids do love the young juicy leaves. I did not spray for the aphids, instead I let my ladybugs fill up on as many as they could stand. I found they did very little to hamper my huge harvests which continued up until the first hard frost. Organic limas just makes you feel like you've done something good for your family.

They freeze very well.....as a matter of fact, last night I prepared some I had frozen and they were perfect!!!

The hardest part of growing bush lima beans are finding someone to help pick the harvest. NO ONE would help me and I just had to take a milk stool with me and pick for HOURS. I even told my friends and family they could HAVE all they wanted....they just had to pick them. NOT ONE took me up on my offer.....and I dang sure didn't pick them for them!!

Limas will be in my 2009 veg. garden!!!

Hope this helps.

 

[rockytopsis]

Thanks, I found Hendersons in the Henry Fields catalogue and several other vegies I wanted so I will be putting in a order.

Thanks again
Nancy

 

[vfem]

Oh that's great to know! I was thinking of Lima Beans too. I did get pole beans and I've never done them before, so thanks for the heads up on the possible 7-8' poles I'm going to need to get them going!

 

[allabout]

Oh that's great to know! I was thinking of Lima Beans too. I did get pole beans and I've never done them before, so thanks for the heads up on the possible 7-8' poles I'm going to need to get them going!

FOR POLE BEANS- Oh, the poles or trellis doesn't need to be that high. They will just wind themselves back down. You would have to have a ladder to pick and you don't want to do that. If you plant in rows then then plan on comfortable reaching height. You will do a lot of reaching and bending.

 

[Liberty7]

When I plant bush beans of any sort, I always use a little stool in the garden to harvest them rather than end up with a backache.

In the future, I'm growing pole beans!

 

[okiemommy]

The hardest part of growing bush lima beans are finding someone to help pick the harvest. NO ONE would help me and I just had to take a milk stool with me and pick for HOURS. I even told my friends and family they could HAVE all they wanted....they just had to pick them. NOT ONE took me up on my offer.....and I dang sure didn't pick them for them!!

This made me think of the "Little Red Hen" story.

Will you help me pick the beans? "Not I" said the Friend. "Not I" said the Mom. "Not I" said the kids. Then I will pick the beans.

Who will help me eat these beans? "I will!" said the mom. "I will!" said the friend. "I will!" said the kids.

Ooooh no. I will eat the beans. And she did.


I saw some Heirloom giant lima beans in seed catalogue that I got the other day. The pod is 5-6 inches long, and the bean is as big as a man's thumb!!

 

[Muggins]

Hey guys I'm new here but have gardened for nearly 40 years. About 25 years ago I subscribed to organic gardening magazine. There was a artical about Dr. Martin pole Lima beans and I had to try them. They are a family heirloom raised by a family in New Jersy, John Guyer (Fern Hill Farm). I ordered these beans which were seven cents each which I thought was way to much at the time but so what I try somethin new every year. Anyway the instructions were to plant 6' apart and to use heavy poles up to 8' high (who were they kidding). Well in my infinite wisdon I used field fence and planted 2' apart. Was I in for an awakening they didin't lie. I had them all over the ground so leason learned. The following year I followed the instructions and put in 4x4 posts and used concrete reinforcing wire and have used them ever since (25 years). These are the best lima beans I have ever tried with pods 5 to 6 inches long easy to shell and seeds up to 5 beans per pod the size of a teaspoon. I don't know if they are still avalable since I talked to John several years back and his wife passed away and he was deciding weather to continue selling seed. He did say he was working with a major seed supplier to see if the wanted to raise and sell the beans but I never heard back from him. Now that I've given you a little back ground. As I said I have raised these beans for 25 years and saved seed ever year. I am willing to share any extra seed I have if anyone is interested I only ask you pay postage for shipping. This is such a good bean I would like to see it spread aroud so that if I have a bad year as I did last year it can be saved and not go by the wayside. I would also ask anyone who gets them to share with others.

Oh there is a trick to germinate this bean it is so large that I place them between damp paper towels on a try and put in aplastic bag unsealed then place it in a warm place like on top of the refrigerator untill they sprout, carefully peal the skin off and put in large styrafoam cups with hole in bottom and potting soil untill two mature leaves are set then plant in garden. They don't do well with direct planting.

I would also like to say how greatfull I am to John if by chance your still with us.

Ken

 

[hoodat]

Love my Lima beans but those darn black aphids also love hem. They like to hit the flower stalks and that stunts the beans that develop there. The ants keep predators away from them so it's one of the few crops I normally spray. A mixture of Neem and Safers soap takes care of them and discourages the ants also. I prefer King of the Garden for a pole lima. It's one of the oldst varieties but it needs a big trellis. The plants reach for the sky. I can a lot of them in the shelly bean stage. I use pints so they're just the right size jar to add to stews. I have to admit they're kind of tedious to shell.

 

[Muggins]

I forgot to mention the Dr. Martin pole limas are also great dried.

Ken