GrowSabzHow to grow lima bean in pots
Also called Butter Bean, Sieva Bean, Madagascar Bean, butter bean · Phaseolus lunatus
لیما بین
- ☀️ Sunlight
- 6–8hours daily
- 💧 Water
- 1.3 Levery 3 days, 15 L pot
- 🌡️ Ideal temp
- 21–29°C
- 🪴 Min pot
- 15 L30 cm deep
- 🧺 Harvest
- 60–90days from sowing
- ⚖️ Yield
- 3 kgper 20 L pot
Lima Bean is a heat-lover with no tolerance for cold. It wants 21–29 °C and frost kills it outright. Everything about growing it well comes down to timing — getting it into the season early enough to crop before temperatures fall away.
Short answer
Grow lima bean in a 15 litre container at least 30 cm deep, watering about 700 ml per 10 litres of soil every 3 days, and keep temperatures between 21 and 29 °C. First harvest comes 60–90 days after sowing.
Where to plant it
What size pot does lima bean need?
15 litres and 30 cm deep is the realistic minimum for a single plant. Pick a container below to see what changes.
| Container | Minimum size | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot | 15 L | 30 cm | Ensure good drainage and consistent moisture. |
| Grow bag | 15 L | 30 cm | Fabric bags provide good aeration, but may dry out faster. |
| Open ground | — | 30 cm | Space plants adequately, especially for pole varieties. |
| Raised bed | 20 L | 30 cm | Provides good drainage and soil warmth, ideal for early planting. |
Watering
How often should you water lima bean?
Every 3 days through the growing season, at about 700 ml per 10 litres of soil — daily in hot weather, every 4 days when it turns cool. Water in the early morning. Deep watering at base works best.
Too little water
- wilting leaves
- flower drop
- poor pod development
Too much water
- yellowing leaves
- stunted growth
- root rot
Avoid: overhead watering; standing water; letting soil dry out completely.
Climate
Can you grow lima bean where you live?
No hardiness zone needed — compare your actual temperatures against the plant's own limits.
| Ideal range | 21 – 29 °C |
|---|---|
| Survives | 10 – 35 °C |
| Germinates above | 18 °C — best at 25 °C, about 10 days |
| Flowers drop | above 32 °C, or below 15 °C |
| Sunlight | 6–10 hrs/day, best 8 |
| Frost | Highly sensitive — will not survive it |
The flower-drop thresholds matter more than the survival ones. A plant can be perfectly alive at 35 °C and still give you nothing.
How cold is too cold for lima bean? Check your temperaturesEnter your night low and day high — see if it survives, and if it will cropTimeline
Lima Bean growing stages, day by day
Click any stage to see what's happening. Durations shift with temperature — a warm season runs roughly a quarter faster than a cool one.
Feeding
Fertiliser schedule for lima bean
Feed on the interval below, changing what you give as the plant shifts from making leaves to making fruit.
| Stage | What to use | Per 10 L | Every |
|---|
How to prepare each feed
Common mistakes
Why lima bean fails, and how to avoid it
- A container that is too small
Below 15 litres the root run is too shallow. The plant grows, flowers late, and drops whatever it sets because it cannot support the crop.
- Watering too lightly
A daily splash wets the top few centimetres and nothing else. Lima Bean wants about 700 ml per 10 litres of soil — one deep soak beats three shallow ones.
- Ignoring the flower-drop threshold
Above 32 °C, or below 15 °C, flowers fall before setting. The plant can look perfectly healthy and still give you nothing — shade it through the hottest hours.
- Harvesting too late
Left too long the colour changes, seeds harden and the flavour sharpens. Pick on the signs listed below, not on the calendar.
- Planting it beside Onion
Alliums (onions, garlic, chives) can inhibit the growth of beans.
- Leaving it out through a cold snap
Lima Bean is highly frost-sensitive. One night below 10 °C can end the plant outright — bring containers in or cover them.
Companions
What to plant with lima bean
Good neighbours
Provides a natural trellis for climbing lima bean varieties, supporting their growth.
Acts as a living mulch, suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture, benefiting the beans.
Roots produce a chemical that kills root-knot nematodes, and flowers repel other harmful insects like bean beetles.
Its strong scent helps deter bean beetles and other common bean pests.
Reported to improve the growth and vigor of lima beans.
Keep apart from
Alliums (onions, garlic, chives) can inhibit the growth of beans.
Alliums (onions, garlic, chives) can inhibit the growth of beans.
Members of the brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, kale) can stunt the growth of lima beans.
Produces substances from its roots that inhibit the growth of many plants, including beans.
Can inhibit the growth of beans due to allelopathic effects.
Problems
Lima Bean pests and diseases
Each lists the weather that brings it on, so you know when to start checking rather than reacting once it's established.
Aphids humidity any · temp 15-25
Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and the undersides of leaves, sucking sap and secreting sticky honeydew. Can stunt growth and transmit viruses.
Mexican Bean Beetle humidity any · temp 20-30
Adult beetles are copper-colored with black spots. Larvae are yellow and spiny. Both feed on leaves, leaving a lace-like skeleton.
Spider Mites humidity <50% · temp >27
Tiny pests that cause leaves to look stippled, pale, and eventually turn yellow and drop. Fine webbing may be visible on the undersides of leaves.
Whiteflies humidity >60% · temp >25
Tiny, white, winged insects that fly up when the plant is disturbed. They suck sap, weaken the plant, and can transmit viruses.
Powdery Mildew humidity 50-70% · temp 20-27
White, powdery fungal spots appear mainly on the upper surface of leaves. Causes leaves to yellow and die off prematurely.
Downy Mildew humidity >80% · temp 10-20
Yellowish spots on the upper leaf surface with purplish-gray fuzzy growth on the underside. Can cause defoliation and reduced yield.
Rust humidity >80% · temp 18-25
Small, reddish-brown pustules (like rust) appear on leaves and sometimes pods. Can cause premature leaf drop and reduced vigor.
Anthracnose humidity >90% · temp 20-25
Causes dark, sunken lesions on pods, stems, and leaves, often with reddish-brown borders. Can lead to significant crop loss.
Bean Common Mosaic Virus humidity any · temp any
Causes mosaic patterns (light and dark green areas), leaf curling, blistering, and stunted plant growth. Spread by aphids and infected seeds.
Root Rot humidity any · temp any
Caused by overwatering and poor drainage, leading to wilting, yellowing leaves, and eventually plant death as roots decay.
Blossom Drop humidity any · temp >30 or <15
Flowers dry up and fall off before pods set, commonly caused by temperature extremes (too hot or too cold), severe water stress, or lack of pollination.
Harvest
When to harvest lima bean
First picking falls between day 60 and day 90, and the plant then keeps producing for about 45 days. Pick often — what you leave on the plant signals it to stop making more.
How to tell it's ready
- Pods are plump, firm, and bright green (for fresh beans)
- Pods are dry, brittle, and yellow/brown (for dry beans)
How much to expect
Storing it: Refrigerate unshelled fresh pods for up to a week. Shelled fresh beans can be blanched and frozen. Dried beans should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Questions
Lima Bean: common questions
How long does lima bean take to grow?
About 80 days from sowing to the first harvest, with picking usually starting between day 60 and day 90. It then keeps producing for roughly 45 more days. Warm weather pulls that forward; cool weather pushes it back.
What size pot does lima bean need?
At least 15 litres and 30 cm deep for one plant. A raised bed wants 20 litres of soil and 30 cm of depth.
How often should I water lima bean?
About 700 ml per 10 litres of soil, every 3 days in normal weather — daily when it is hot and every 4 days when cool. Water in the early morning.
What temperature does lima bean need?
It does best between 21 °C and 29 °C and survives from 10 °C to 35 °C. Seed needs soil above 18 °C to germinate, ideally around 25 °C.
Can I grow lima bean in winter?
Not outdoors anywhere that frosts — it is highly frost-sensitive and will not survive it. In a frost-free winter it grows slowly; anywhere colder, treat it as a warm-season crop.
How do I know when lima bean is ready to harvest?
Pods are plump, firm, and bright green (for fresh beans); Pods are dry, brittle, and yellow/brown (for dry beans). Once picked: refrigerate unshelled fresh pods for up to a week. shelled fresh beans can be blanched and frozen. dried beans should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
How much does one lima bean plant produce?
Roughly 3 kg from a 20 litre container, or about 6 kg in open ground. Larger containers give proportionally more, up to a point.