Lima beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8 and full sun, but they can handle partial shade, especially as summer temperatures rise. (Bush varieties take 60 to 80 days pole varieties take 85 to 90 days). Seeds will take 60 to 90 days from planting, so plan accordingly. Lima bean plants will not put out pods in temperatures above 80☏ or when it’s cold and wet, so spring and fall are the best times to grow lima beans. (Sometimes the smaller bush varieties are called butter beans, if that makes them more palatable.) Even better, they are easy to grow and excellent additions to balconies and windowsills, as well as standard gardens. You need to put them to the fire before eating.ĭespite childhood trauma and potential poisoning, lima beans ( Phaseolus lunatus) are actually a very sweet, high fiber source of protein, folic acid, iron, manganese, and potassium. So, in the case of lima beans, simply soaking isn’t good enough. Before the Lima Haters shout a resounding, “We told you so!”, it is important to note that cooking lima beans for at least 10 minutes eliminates those chemicals. Lima beans also contain certain chemicals, stored in different parts of the plant, that become activated when the seeds are chewed, creating potentially fatal cyanide poisoning. The wasps lay their eggs in the caterpillars, hatch, and devour their host. These particular legumes put out chemicals that attract parasitic wasps whenever caterpillars start chewing on their leaves. The lowly lima bean, hated by many, loved by some, is a legume.
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