Lima Bean (dried) (Phaseolus lunatus)

Month on the bottom, temperature up the side. The pale green background is what the plant can survive at all -- fatal above or below it, labelled directly on the chart where that applies to your zone. The coral band is its ideal range, and only fades in during the months this zone would actually have the crop in the ground -- reusing the exact same sowing/harvesting data as the calendar further down the page. The blue line is real monthly climate data (not a modelled estimate) for a representative rural/agricultural location in this zone -- a small farming town or agricultural research station rather than a major city, to avoid the warmer bias city weather stations have. For the actual verdict on how well this crop does in your zone, see the badge at the top of the page -- that's based on the site's own researched yield figures, not this chart.

1. Sow after frost risk has passed. Sow direct once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed -- lima bean is a frost-tender warm-season crop and won't tolerate cold, wet soil.
2. Support climbing varieties. Climbing lima bean varieties need a sturdy pole or trellis; bush varieties are self-supporting and need none.
3. Leave pods on the plant to dry fully. For dried storage, leave pods on the plant until they've turned dry and papery and the beans inside rattle, rather than picking young.
4. Shell and finish drying indoors. Shell the dried pods and spread the beans out somewhere warm and airy for a final week of drying before storing in an airtight container.
5. Cook thoroughly before eating. Dried lima beans must cook thoroughly before eating -- never eat them raw or undercooked, since raw lima beans contain cyanogenic compounds that thorough cooking breaks down.

Pick your zone under "Temperature Range by Month" above and this updates too. Boreal and Alpine show no window at all, since this site's own yield data marks lima bean as not viable outdoors there.

Lima bean is a genuine calorie staple when dried at about 3,590 kcal per kg -- the highest of all six beans on this hub. Tropical gives the best yield here, and Boreal and Alpine aren't viable outdoors.

Figures per plant sown, dried weight, from the site's own crop database. Maritime, Continental and Arid already reflect the 60% penalty applied to challenging zones.

Lima bean varieties mainly split by growth habit -- bush types are more compact, pole types need support but often crop for longer. Both below are open-pollinated (OP), meaning seed saved from them breeds true and is worth keeping under this site's seed-saving approach; neither is an F1 hybrid.

Lima bean is a different species from common bean (Phaseolus lunatus vs P. vulgaris) and won't cross with it -- but its more open flowers attract more insect visits, so it crosses somewhat more readily between its own varieties.

Lima bean is grown here specifically for dried storage, not fresh eating -- pods are left on the plant until fully dry, then shelled and given a final week of airing indoors before going into an airtight container.

Stored this way in a cool, dry place, dried lima beans keep for a genuinely long time -- years rather than months, the same storage league as wheat, oats and this site's other dried staples.

Bean beetles and aphids are the main pests to watch for -- they cluster on soft growth and pods, and heavy infestations can reduce yield.

Handpicking pests and encouraging predator insects with companion flowers is an effective input-free defence, along with keeping plants evenly watered so they aren't stressed.

Lima bean fixes its own nitrogen via bacteria in root nodules, genuinely improving the soil for whatever's grown there next -- factor that into a wider rotation plan, not just a calorie one.