Planting Lima Beans
Lima Beans is a warm season vegetable in the Fabaceae family. Getting the timing right is the difference between a strong stand and a disappointing one, so the windows below are given relative to your own last spring frost and first fall frost rather than a generic calendar date. Look up your local frost dates and count back or forward from there.
Sow Lima Beans directly into the garden 1–2 weeks after your last frost, once the soil has warmed.
Spacing and Planting Depth
Give Lima Beans room to mature. The figures below come from verified extension and seed-supplier data for typical varieties.
| Spacing in row | 4 inches |
|---|---|
| Row spacing | 24 inches |
| Plants per sq ft | 1.5 |
| Planting depth | 1.5 inches |
| Sun requirement | Full sun |
Plan a square-foot bed with Lima Beans →
Calculate plants in a bed for Lima Beans →
Days to Maturity
Lima Beans reaches maturity in 65–80 days from sowing.
Lima Beans is ready to harvest after about 73 days. Harvest before the first fall frost, which will end the plant's productive season.
Conditions and Care
As a warm-season vegetable, Lima Beans needs warm soil and settled weather to thrive, and is set back or killed by frost. It is frost tender, so wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting out and harvest before the first fall frost.
Lima Beans needs full sun — give it at least six hours of direct light a day for the best growth and flavor. Sow seed about 1.5 inches deep, then keep the soil evenly moist until seedlings establish.
Lima Beans belongs to the Fabaceae family; rotating where you grow members of this family each year helps limit the build-up of soil-borne pests and disease. Lima Beans is generally grown as a single planting each season rather than succession sown.
See Lima Beans in the full planting calendar for your ZIP →
Plan crop rotation for Fabaceae →
Companion Plants
Pairing Lima Beans with the right neighbors can improve growth and deter pests; a few combinations are best avoided.
Grows well with: Corn, Cucumber
Check Lima Beans with other crops in your garden →
Related Crops
Other crops you might grow alongside or instead of Lima Beans.
In the same family
Lima Beans is in the Fabaceae family. Other Fabaceae crops in the Gardenable database:
Documented companions
These crops are listed as good growing partners for Lima Beans:
Similar growing requirements
Crops with similar season and time to maturity — useful if you want a diverse garden on a similar schedule: