How to Grow Butterbeans

Butterbeans, also called lima beans, are a warm-weather crop with a greater sensitivity to frost and cold ground temperatures than other beans. Start your beans about two weeks after the last expected frost, typically mid-February and continue planting new rows every two weeks through July for a continuous harvest.

- Place your lima beans in a bowl of room temperature water for several hours while you prepare your farm/garden plot for planting.

- Find a farm area/garden plot with full sun exposure and well-drained soil, such as on a raised bed or hill. If your soil is prone to getting dense and waterlogged, loosen the first 12 inches and incorporate a few inches of compost into the soil.

- Water the soil to keep it moist but not waterlogged until the seeds have germinated, usually within 10 days. Thin the bean seedlings to six inches apart for bush varieties and 10 inches apart for pole varieties after germination.

- Lay a layer of mulch between rows to prevent weed growth in your butterbean bed.

- Water your beans regularly to maintain moist soil. Begin harvesting the beans when the pods are firm, plump and bright green.