How to Grow Lima Beans USA

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Lima Beans planting
  10. Growing Lima Bean in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Lima beans need real heat: sow outdoors only once all frost risk has passed and soil has warmed to at least 75°F (24°C), with best germination around 85°F (29°C) — this crop performs poorly in cool seasons and needs more warmth than standard bush or runner beans.

The short answer

Ready in
60–105 days
Site
soil pH 5.5–7
Biggest risk
Bean anthracnose

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus)

Lima bean plant with a leafy climbing vine habit — “Phaseolus lunatus(Fabaceae)” by Filo gèn' is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also known as: sieva bean, butter bean · 12 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

Lima bean plant with a leafy climbing vine habit
Lima bean plant with a leafy climbing vine habit. Photo by Filo gèn', CC BY-SA 4.0.
Factor Value
Soil pH 5.5 - 7
Germination temp 84°F (29°C)
Optimal growing temp 61-82°F (16-28°C)
Minimum growing temp 55°F (13°C)
Time to harvest 60-105 days
Drainage Loose, evenly moist, well-drained
Lifecycle annual
Edible parts seeds
Documented problems 2 diseases, 13 pests

At a Glance

Mottled purple and cream lima bean seeds
Mottled purple and cream lima bean seeds. Photo by দিব্য দত্ত, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Phaseolus lunatus Lima Bean Bean anthracnose Bean rust Glasshouse red spider m… Mexican bean beetle Aphids Tarnished plant bug Blackfly (black bean ap… Bean seed fly Southern green stink bug Lesser cornstalk borer Bean leaf beetle Thrips Corn earworm Snails Slugs DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

Lima bean leaves showing tan spot fungal disease symptoms
Lima bean leaves showing tan spot fungal disease symptoms. Photo by Plant pests and diseases, CC0.
Bean anthracnose

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum

Alabama Extension: "Lima beans are particularly susceptible" to anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemuthianum); most noticeable on pods as sunken reddish-brown-bordered spots.

Bean rust

Uromyces appendiculatus

RHS: bean rust affects "Phaseolus (dwarf, French, runner beans etc.)" — genus-wide reference covering lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus).

Pests

Mottled purple and cream lima bean seeds
Mottled purple and cream lima bean seeds. Photo by দিব্য দত্ত, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)
medium

Tetranychus urticae

Tiny specks on leaf undersides; lightly infested leaves show whitish speckling, heavily infested ones turn pale yellow or bronze and dry up. In hot dry weather a generation can complete in as few as eight days, which…

Mexican bean beetle
high

Epilachna varivestis

Both larvae and adults feed on leaf undersides, leaving the veins and giving the leaf a skeletonized, lacy look. Egg to adult takes about a month and there are usually three generations a year, so numbers build fast.…

medium

Aphididae (various spp.)

Heavy populations stunt plants by withdrawing large volumes of sap and delaying maturity. Once the weather warms, natural enemies usually bring them under control on their own.

Tarnished plant bug
medium

Lygus lineolaris

Withdraws sap and injects toxic saliva, which can halt development of blooms and young pods and leaves dark spots on older pods. Most important at full bloom, and late-planted beans are highly susceptible. Threshold:…

Blackfly (black bean aphid)

Aphis fabae species group

RHS: blackfly affects "broad, French and runner beans". The RHS French bean guide also names blackfly (black bean aphid) among its pests. [RHS pest notes reference "Phaseolus" genus generally; reused for lima bean…

Bean seed fly

Delia platura; Delia florilega

RHS: bean seed fly affects "Seedling French and runner beans". The RHS French bean guide also names bean seed fly among its pests. [RHS pest notes reference "Phaseolus" genus generally; reused for lima bean (Phaseolus…

Southern green stink bug
medium

Nezara viridula

Feeds on pods in preference to leaves, sucking juices and injecting toxins; snap bean pods show clear or water-soaked areas, and inside the pod the developing beans brown as the toxins and introduced yeasts take hold.…

Lesser cornstalk borer
medium

Elasmopalpus lignosellus

A pest of the warm, sandy-soiled southern United States, not of the UK or most of Canada. Larvae bore into the stalk near the soil line and tunnel up and down it, leaving a small silken tube in the soil at the stem…

Bean leaf beetle
medium

Cerotoma trifurcata

Damage is twofold: stems girdled near the soil line, and large irregular holes chewed in the leaves. Early-season damage can thin the stand outright.

Thrips
medium

Thysanoptera

Their presence in flowers at early bloom interferes with pollination -- Clemson puts the threshold at three thrips per flower -- and the result is defectively shaped pods rather than obvious leaf damage. Aluminium foil…

Corn earworm
medium

Helicoverpa zea

Chews holes in foliage but prefers the pods. Clemson's action threshold is 5% of pods damaged, or one larva per 3 feet of row. Mainly a problem on late plantings.

Snails

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

RHS French bean guide lists slugs and snails among French bean pests. [RHS pest notes reference "Phaseolus" genus generally; reused for lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus).]

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

RHS French bean guide lists slugs and snails among French bean pests. [RHS pest notes reference "Phaseolus" genus generally; reused for lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus).]

Soil & Growing Conditions

Lima bean plant with a leafy climbing vine habit
Lima bean plant with a leafy climbing vine habit. Photo by Filo gèn', CC BY-SA 4.0.

Soil pH range

5.5 7

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Close-up of purple lima bean flowers on the vine
Close-up of purple lima bean flowers on the vine. Photo by Ravikiran vilas jadhav, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  1. Sowing and germination (BBCH 0): Sow outdoors after all frost risk has passed and soil has warmed to at least 75°F (24°C), about 2.5cm deep; optimal germination around 84°F (29°C) (Johnny's Selected Seeds).
  2. Establishment and earthing up (BBCH 1): Earth up around the base once plants reach about 15cm tall for extra stability; grow in a warm, sunny, well-drained spot that cannot tolerate wet soil (Magic Garden Seeds).
  3. Flowering and pod set (BBCH 6): Bush varieties flower and set pods over a shorter season (60-80 days total); pole varieties take longer (85-90 days total) (Magic Garden Seeds).
  4. Pod filling and harvest (BBCH 8)

Harvest & Storage

Dried tan and green lima bean seeds in a bowl
Dried tan and green lima bean seeds in a bowl. Photo by Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: UMD/Delaware: variety-dependent maturity, e.g. Fordhook 242 (bush) 65 days, Henderson bush 60-75 days, King of the Garden (pole) 105 days.

Storage

Fresh shelled beans or dried for storage

Plan your Lima Beans planting

When to sow and plant Lima Beans depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Lima Bean in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

  2. Carries action thresholds rather than only descriptions: three thrips per flower may interfere with pollination and cause defectively shaped pods; corn earworm warrants treatment at 5% damaged pods or one larva per 3 ft of row; tarnished plant bug at one bug per 6 ft of row; stink bugs at one per 10 ft on snap beans and one per 15 ft on lima beans, which are more sensitive. Mexican bean beetle completes egg-to-adult in about a month with three generations a year, and Wade and Black Valentine are resistant or tolerant. Lesser cornstalk borer causes 30-50% stand loss on late plantings after 1 July on sandy soil in hot dry conditions. Spider mites can complete a generation in as few as eight days in hot dry weather.

These 3 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 12 sources behind this guide (Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Clemson Cooperative Extension, FAO EcoCrop and others) is in the references of our UK guide to lima beans; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do lima beans take to grow?

Typically 60–105 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH do lima beans need?

A pH of about 5.5–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect lima beans?

Our data links 2 diseases and 13 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

Get the USA Garden Planner →

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-08-30

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