How to Grow Lima Beans
Phaseolus lunatus
Buttery, heat-loving shell beans that thrive when other crops flag in midsummer.
By the Plants by Zone Editorial Team · Reviewed June 1, 2026
About lima beans
Lima beans — called butter beans throughout the American South — are a warm-season legume that genuinely loves summer heat, producing steadily when snap beans start to struggle in July and August. Both compact bush types and climbing pole varieties fix their own nitrogen, enrich the soil for the next crop, and reward patient gardeners with plump green shell beans that cook in under half an hour with a rich, buttery flavor nothing like their canned counterparts. The narrow harvest window at the fresh shell stage is part of the appeal: learn to spot a perfectly plump, bright-green pod and you have one of the most satisfying pickings in the vegetable garden.
When to plant and harvest lima beans
Timing is relative to your frost dates. Find your USDA zone for exact dates, or browse the month-by-month calendars.
Start seeds indoors
Not recommended — roots dislike disturbance
Transplant outdoors
Direct-sow only
Direct sow
2 weeks after last frost, once soil is 70°F+
Harvest
Mid-to-late summer
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How to grow lima beans step by step
- 1
Wait for soil to reach 70°F — lima beans rot far more readily than snap beans in cold, wet soil.
- 2
Sow 1–1.5 in deep; for pole types, put the trellis or teepee in place before sowing.
- 3
Skip nitrogen fertilizer entirely — like all legumes, limas fix their own, and excess pushes foliage over pods.
- 4
Water consistently once flowering begins; drought during bloom causes blossom drop and hollow pods.
- 5
Pick daily once pods start to plump: the shell-stage window is 3–5 days, and over-ripe pods become starchy.
- 6
After the last harvest, cut plants at the soil line rather than pulling so the nitrogen-fixing roots stay in the bed.
Common problems growing lima beans
⚠ Seeds rotting before sprouting
Soil too cold and wet — wait for 70°F+ soil; limas rot faster than snap beans in cool ground.
⚠ Blossom drop / hollow pods
Caused by drought or night temperatures above 80°F. Keep moisture steady and be patient — plants resume setting once heat eases.
⚠ Mexican bean beetle damage
Hand-pick adults and yellow larvae from leaf undersides; damage is rarely severe enough to warrant spraying.
⚠ Slow germination or weak seedlings
Cold soil is almost always the culprit — check with a soil thermometer and wait for genuine warmth before sowing.
✓ Good companions for lima beans
✗ Keep away from
🧺 Harvesting lima beans
Shell-stage limas are ready when the pods are bright green, visibly plump, and the beans press firmly against the pod wall — but the pods still flex slightly rather than feeling hard. Pick a sample pod and open it; the beans should be large, bright green, and tender. Fresh-shelled limas cook in 20–30 minutes and have a creamy, buttery flavor far superior to the frozen version. To dry limas for the pantry, leave the last picking on the vine until pods turn tan and papery, then shell and spread indoors for a week before storing in sealed jars.
Lima Beans: frequently asked questions
When should you plant lima beans?＋
In most regions you transplant direct-sow only — or direct sow 2 weeks after last frost, once soil is 70°F+. Timing is relative to your last frost, so find your USDA hardiness zone for the exact planting dates where you live.
What is the difference between lima beans and butter beans?＋
They are the same species — Phaseolus lunatus. "Butter bean" is the preferred name across the American South; "lima bean" is more common in the North and West. Large, flat Fordhook types are often what Southerners mean by butter beans; small baby limas are milder and starchier.
Why won't my lima beans set pods?＋
The most common cause is night temperatures that stay above 80°F, which drops the blossoms before pollination. Drought during bloom has the same effect. Both are temporary — keep soil consistently moist, and production rebounds as temperatures moderate.
Sources & review
Written and maintained by the Plants by Zone Editorial Team. Planting times are based on USDA hardiness zones and NOAA frost-date normals, with care guidance drawn from Cooperative Extension sources. Last reviewed June 1, 2026.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone MapNOAA U.S. climate normalsCooperative Extension
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