Lima beans are popular among summer residents because of their excellent taste. This species can be bred throughout Russia: in the southern regions it is planted directly into the ground at the end of April - early May, in the middle zone of the country, in the Far North and in Siberia, beans - in greenhouses, tunnels or hotbeds.

Description of the plant and its history

Lima beans are native to Central America. The oldest seeds of this species are found in layers that are more than 5000 years old. Lima beans were bred by the ancient Incas, they came to Europe after the Spanish conquests in the 16th century, and began to be used in cooking from the 18th century. Many novice gardeners are interested in lima beans - what it is, how to grow it in their summer cottage. To properly cultivate a hybrid, it is best to seek the help of experienced growers.

This vegetable has the following description:

  • is an annual plant that is grown in 3 types: shrub, type with creeping branches or climbing part;
  • the variety is pollinated independently, although if there is an apiary nearby, the farmer can attract bees to fertilize beans;
  • the height of the bush ranges from 0.3 to 1.8-2 m (for climbing types), and in creeping species this figure reaches 15 m;
  • racemose inflorescences contain from 25 to 30 lilac or white-green flowers, standing on short legs;
  • the opening of the buds occurs gradually.

Lima beans

The yield of all subspecies of this culture is quite high. The weight of 1000 grains, depending on the variety, ranges from 0.25 to 1.5 kg.

Culture characteristics

Moon beans (another name for Lima), depending on the variety, have grains of both small and large sizes. Their color varies from white to variegated.

Bean characteristic:

  • the shape of the fruit is straight, sometimes with a slight bend (similar to a sickle);
  • each pod 7 to 20 cm long contains 4 seeds;
  • the color of the pod at waxy maturity is green, in ripe fruits the color changes to brown or brown, although there are hybrids where the pod will look greenish throughout the growing season;
  • the harvest is obtained in 60-90 days after sowing.

Important! In some hybrids, the beans turn purple or purple as they ripen. Therefore, when buying seed, the farmer should learn about the possible colors of fruits and grains.

The most popular varieties of this plant: Sugar, Shrub fine-grained, Armenian, Pale-motley.

Sweet lima bean is consumed boiled, fried or stewed. The grains are used to make flour, which is used to bake some types of bread.

Lima beans with garnish

All varieties of this bean are widely used for medicinal purposes. Doctors recommend raw lima beans for heartburn, people with a clogged stomach. They help to strengthen muscles, prevent the formation of tumors, strengthen blood vessels and normalize blood flow. They are given to athletes to restore the body after the competition. Lima beans are used in cosmetology for making masks. Doctors advise women to use beans for weight loss. These hybrids also have contraindications. They should not be given to diabetics, patients with flatulence or urolithiasis.

Planting culture

The hybrid loves warmth, so it practically does not tolerate even a slight drop in temperature or changes in weather conditions. The culture does not tolerate extreme heat and high humidity.

The plant can be planted directly in open ground only in southern Russia at the end of April, when the weather is warm.The soil must be warmed up to 15 ° C, otherwise the hybrid will die. Depending on the variety, the planting material is planted as follows:

  • If a bush view is used, then make holes 4-6 cm deep at a distance of 200 mm from each other. Gaps between 50 and 60 cm long are left between the rows.
  • Curly varieties are planted at a distance of 300 mm from each other. Leave 0.8-0.9 m between the rows.
  • The square-nest fit fits all types of beans. Bushes should stand at a distance of 0.5-0.7 m from each other.

If night frosts are expected, then the crops should be covered with a transparent film. Seed germination gives good results at 25 ° C. The first shoots appear in 6-7 days.

Important! In central Russia and in the north of the country, it recommends growing beans from Lim by the seedling method.

After the purchase and rejection of the seed fund, the specimens that will germinate are dipped into a solution of potassium permanganate. Withstand 2-3 hours. This procedure increases the immunity of the grains. To destroy germs and eggs of garden pests, the seeds need to be frozen to −10 ° C or heated to + 30 ° C. Then they are placed in a container with growth stimulants.

Treated seeds are planted in the first week of March. Germinate a bean sprout on moistened gauze. The material is constantly fed with water (but not flooded) until the seeds swell and throw out the roots. After that, they are transferred into separate cups with soil (peat, turf, river sand), fed with superphosphate, and watered with warm water once every 6 days. When 1-2 leaves appear on the seedlings, they are dived, and then transferred to the beds. This procedure is carried out after the air temperature is set at least 15-20 ° C. Most of the farmers do this work in mid-May. For transplant, you need to choose a cloudy, but not rainy day. Better to carry out the procedure in the afternoon.

Care features

In order for the bushes to take root well in the spring, you must first carry out the following work:

  • In the fall, prepare the soil on the site. It is dug up, weeds are removed, phosphorus and potassium mixtures are introduced into the soil.
  • This procedure is repeated in the spring. Wood ash is introduced into the ground.
  • The soil for planting is selected without stagnant water with neutral acidity. The place for the bean seedlings should be well lit by the sun.
  • The bushes are fed for the first time 14 days after transplantation. An infusion is prepared from ash and green shoots. To do this, cut the nettle, fill it with hot water, stand for 24 hours. Then mix it with ash flour, dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 8. For each bush, 1 liter of the mixture is enough.

After transplanting Lima bean seedlings or when growing seedlings directly on site, the soil around them is carefully spud. The bushes need to be propped up to protect them from strong gusts of wind, otherwise the delicate shoots will die.

Important! If it is not possible to make a support, the seedlings are placed close to the fence.

The predecessors of beans can be tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, pumpkin. Do not plant beans in the ground where cruciferous crops, for example, radishes, turnips, grew before.

Growing Lima beans

After rooting the bushes, you need to weed the beds once a week and loosen the soil in the aisles 2 times per season. The soil near the bushes should not dry out, so it is recommended to pour enough water so that the soil is moist, but there is no puddle under the plant. If this happens, then using the diverting groove, you need to drain the water a little.

Important! Do not let water droplets fall on the bean leaves, as on a sunny day this will lead to burns.

Watering is done early in the morning before sunrise. If it is rainy weather, it is recommended to cover the plantings with cellophane.

Lima beans are fertilized with ammonium nitrate and phosphate fertilizers 3 times throughout the season. The mixture is prepared in such a way that 10 g of chemicals per 1 m² of the garden bed. At the same time, a solution is used, according to the recipe of which wood ash is first diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio.The components are mixed, and then the ratio of ash to water is changed to 1:10.

Ammonium nitrate

Beans resist various viral infections well, but for prevention they need to be sprayed with drugs that kill fungi and bacteria. Crop can be lost due to the spread of powdery mildew or spotting. Beans from Lima can become infected with these diseases from the last days of July to mid-August. To eliminate the possibility of developing these diseases, the bushes are treated with Baktofit. From folk remedies, it is recommended to use copper sulfate and a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

Lima beans are damaged by garden pests such as:

  • white-winged butterfly;
  • various types of aphids;
  • bean weevil;
  • sprout fly.

To destroy them, seedlings are treated with Aktara before flowering. After the buds fall off, the plants are sprayed with Gaupsin. Leaves and trunks of lima beans protect from aphids by planting tomatoes or potatoes around the beds. These plants attract ladybugs, which eat garden pests.

Another way to kill parasites is to spray the bushes with preparations containing tobacco.

Council. Infusions of garlic and onions are used against caryopses. If they did not help, then it is recommended to treat the crops with special biological preparations.

To grow Lima beans for a novice gardener, you need to follow the instructions above. If you miss something, then there will be a massive death of beans or the yield will decrease by 40-50%. With proper crop care, the beans are harvested in late August (early varieties) or autumn (late varieties). After that, you need to stock up on seeds for the next year. They can be taken from grown pods or purchased new ones from a reliable manufacturer. Nothing complicated!