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How to Grow Lima Beans. If you were one of those kids who actually ate their lima beans,
you may enjoy growing your own. You will need Lima bean seeds A garden plot Water Support
poles and peat pots (optional). Step 1. Determine which variety of lima bean you want to grow
and decide whether you want to grow a bush or a pole plant. Step 2. Start your seedlings
indoors 2 to 3 weeks before you intend to transplant them. Do not move the plants outside
until after the last frost, and not until the soil temperature averages 65 degrees.
Use peat pots, since these can be transplanted whole without uprooting and potentially traumatizing
your seedlings. Step 3. Plant your seeds 1 inch deep in loose soil that is compost-rich,
spaced 6 inches apart in rows that are 2½ feet apart. If you're growing pole plants,
add support at the time of transplantation. Step 4. Thin your germinated seeds to an average
of 5 inches apart, or space them this way when transplanting. Take care not to disturb
the root systems when you're removing the weaker seedlings. Step 5. Water your plants
with 1 inch of water per week, but be careful not to disturb the flowers. Beans do not need
nitrogen added to their soil, but you should keep the plants free from pests. Step 6. Harvest
your beans when the pods are plump and bright green, usually 70 days or so for bush plants
and up to 90 days for pole plants. Expect up to three harvests if you pick the beans
regularly. Step 7. Enjoy your lima beans, and, after all that hard work, don’t let
anyone feed them to the dog. Did you know Lima beans have been grown for over 8,000
years and are named after the capital city of Peru.