DIY Network

Characteristics and Planting Tips Characteristics and Planting Tips From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-208

Lima beans and edamame originated in different parts of the globe, but they both grow well in hot weather. Today Joe Lamp'l is sharing tips on growing both types of beans. Lima beans and edamame are warm-season annual crops. They can be grown in zones 4-10; check with your cooperative-extension service or local garden center to find out which varieties are best for your climate.

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Lima (lye-muh) beans (figure A) originated in South America; in fact, they're named after Lima (lee-muh), the capital of Peru. The lima is a shell bean; that is, one that's grown for the beans inside the pods.

Edamame (eh-dah-mah-meh) (figure B), another shell bean, originated in Asia and is a type of soybean. In Japan, the pods are lightly cooked and popped open to eat right out the shell, just like boiled peanuts. Edamame sounds exotic, but it's an easy vegetable to grow.

Figure A

Figure B

Planting Limas

When you look at a seed catalog or go to a seed store, you'll see that there are two basic types of limas: bush and pole limas. Bush limas grow on short, bushy shrubs that get about two feet tall (figure C). Pole limas, on the other hand, grow on vines that reach eight or nine feet tall and need to be trellised.

Bush limas tend to mature quickly and are easy to grow, since they don't require staking. But pole limas tend to produce the bigger beans, yield more per square foot of garden space and maintain production during higher temperatures.

To grow bush limas, begin by amending your garden bed with lots of organic matter to make the soil soft and loose (figure D). Beans will grow in almost any fertile, well-drained soil, but they'll be healthier and produce better if the soil is light textured and crumbly to the touch.

Figure C

Figure D

7. Like most summer crops, lima beans need full sun in order to grow well (figure E). For best production, give them six to eight hours (or more) of direct sun a day.

8. If you live in a cool climate where the growing season is short, you can start limas inside and transplant the seedling into the garden (figure F). But as a general rule, limas grow best when they are planted directly in the field where they'll be grown. Before putting the seeds in the ground, check the soil temperature. For the best results, soil temperatures should be between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Limas planted in colder soils don't germinate well and are susceptible to seedling diseases.

Figure E

Figure F

9. Before planting the beans, add bean inoculant (a type of beneficial bacteria that's put on bean seeds before they are planted). One easy way to add the inoculant is to put the beans in a shallow tray and dampen them with a light mist of water. Sprinkle the inoculant over the beans and stir to get a light coating of the powder on each bean (figure G). The inoculant helps beans pull nitrogen, which they use as fertilizer, out of the air. You can find bean inoculant at most garden centers.

10. Once the inoculant is on the seeds, you can begin to plant. As a general rule, bush limas should be planted in rows about two to three feet apart. Space the seeds about four or five inches apart in each row and cover with a inch of soil (figure H). Water well.

Figure G

Figure H

11. Mark each row with the name of the bean you planted. The seeds should germinate in one to two weeks, and the limas should be ready to harvest in 65 to 70 days.

12. In addition to bush lima beans, there are pole lima beans (figure I). Pole limas require a longer growing season than bush limas and therefore are not always the best choices for cool climates. If you live in the North and want to grow pole limas, try Jackson Wonder, a variety especially bred for short growing seasons.

13. Pole limas need some kind of support to grow up, like a fence, a trellis or a tepee. Tepees are decorative and easy to build (figure J).

Figure I

Figure J

14. For each tepee, use four 1x2 cedar poles, each 8' long. Cedar poles are long lasting and have a rough surface that the beans can easily climb. Mark out a circle inside your planting bed, about 3-1/2' in diameter. Next place the four poles equidistant around the circle, setting them into the ground about 10"-12" deep. As you set them in the ground, angle each of them slightly toward the center of the circle. Pull the four poles together and overlap their ends by about 6" to form a cone (figure K). Using heavy-duty twine, lash the poles together where they intersect.

15. To plant the pole limas, poke inch-deep holes into the soil (figure L) and place one lima in each hole. Place six seeds four to five inches from the base of each tepee pole; you can come back later and thin them so that there are two or three lima bean vines per pole. Water well and keep the soil moist. The seeds should germinate in one to two weeks.

16. One good variety of lima is called Florida Speckled Butter. It's called speckled because the beans it produces are light brown, splashed with maroon (figure M). The butter part of its name probably came from the fact that in much of the South, lima beans are commonly called butter beans. This variety is especially tolerant of heat and drought. It goes from seed sowing to maturity in 85 days.

Figure K

Figure L

Figure M