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// SPECIES PROFILE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible seed. Family: Fabaceae (legume family). Originally from Andes & Mesoamerica. Grown as an annual in zones 5a–11a. Mature size 18"–10'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Aug–Oct. A nitrogen-fixing legume.

// QUICK FACTS
Family
Fabaceae (legume family)
Group
crop · annual
Origin
Andes & Mesoamerica · cultivated
USDA zones
Zones 5a–11a (as an annual)
Mature size
18"–10'
Sun
Full sun
Water
Medium
Edible parts
seed
Harvest (NE OK)
Aug–Oct
Garden role
heat-loving Southern butter bean · nitrogen fixer · keeps producing through hot summers
Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus)
Phaseolus lunatus — Lima Bean. Photo by Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible seed. Family: Fabaceae (legume family). Originally from Andes & Mesoamerica. Grown as an annual in zones 5a–11a. Mature size 18"–10'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Aug–Oct. A nitrogen-fixing legume. As a nitrogen fixer it builds soil fertility for the plants around it.

Why it's on this list: heat-loving Southern butter bean · nitrogen fixer · keeps producing through hot summers. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, lima bean pairs well with: Sweet Corn (Zea mays var. rugosa), Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo (Zucchini Group)), Eggplant (Solanum melongena).

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