Butter Beans

The term Lima bean and butter bean are interchangeable.

Butter beans require a warmer soil than snap beans. In the Middle Georgia area it is usually safe to plant butter beans after April 15. Butter beans require a longer season to produce than do snap beans and the latest this crop should be seeded in the fall in the Middle Georgia Area is August 5th.

Butter bean is a southern term used to describe Lima beans. Most all seed catalogues use the term "Lima bean" in their descriptions.

A soil temperature of 65° degrees or above is desirable for good seed germination.

Butter beans are available in either bush types or pole types and as with snap beans, the pole types will produce more per square foot of garden space than the bush types.

Butter beans require a fairly constant supply of nitrogen throughout the growing season. One method of fertilizer application would be to broadcast 10 pounds of 5-10-15 per 1000 square feet of space. As soon as the plants are up, side dress with 2 pounds of 5-10-15 for each 100 foot of row. This fertilizer application should be placed 3 inches to the side of the plants. During the fourth week after germination, make a side dress application using ammonium nitrate. Apply 1¦2 pound of this material to 100 foot of row, again applying it 3 inches to the side of the plant. Repeat this amount in 2 weeks.

Bush type butter beans…

Bush type butter beans that produce small green seeds include Bridgeton, Cangreen, Kingston and Nemagreen. The varieties Dixie Butterpea White and Henderson Bush produce a small white seed. Two bush varieties that are recommended for colored seeds include Dixie Butterpea Speckled and Jackson Wonder.

Pole type butter beans…

Three pole butter bean varieties recommended are Carolina Sieva which produces a small white seed, Florida Butter Speckled which produces a small buff colored seed and King of the Garden which produces a very large seed.

Spacing is important…

Bush type butter beans should be spaced 3 to 4 inches apart in the row. The butter pea types will require about 1¦2 pound of seed per 100 foot of row, the medium seed size varieties will require about 3¦4 pound of seed for 100 foot and the large seeded varieties will require about 1 pound of seed.

Butter bean seeds should not be planted too deep. The small and medium seed types should be covered about 3¦4 to 1 inch deep. The large seeded varieties can be covered 1 1¦2 inches deep.

Watering recommedations…

Irrigate plants when natural rainfall is short. More water is required after pods are formed. If rainfall does not exceed 1¦2 inch, watering is recommended; once a week, before blooming, and twice a week, after blooming,

Harvest butter beans when the pods are well filled and bright green.

If you do a good job of production and timely harvests, you can expect to harvest about 25 pounds of shelled beans of the medium size varieties and 30 to 35 pounds of shelled beans per 100 foot of row for the pole varieties.

For more information on butter beans contact your local County Extension Office.