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Early Thorogreen Bean (Lima)
$4.75 $3.75
Early Thorogreen (Lima) Bean is one of earliest producing baby lima with a delicious buttery taste! 3″L flat, thin pods containing small light green seeds that are set high off the ground for easy picking.
Size: 1/2 oz or 50 seeds per packet
Out of stock
SKU: 0015
Categories: Bean, Vegetable Seeds
Early Thorogreen Bean (limabean) is an open-pollinated heirloom with 65 days maturity. Earliest producing baby lima with a delicious buttery taste! 3½-4″ (9-10cm) flat, thin pods containing small light green seeds that are set high off the ground for easy picking. This variety does not have the mealy texture like the thicker varieties. 18″H upright bush is very rugged and hardy and do not require staking and bears until frost. Unusually dependable! Highly suitable for northern states. Early Thorogreen Bean (limabean) is similar to the popular Henderson Bush except that the beans retain their green color longer and are therefore preferred especially for freezing and canning. Withstands moderate heat and drought. An attractive side-dish or addition to soups and casseroles. Early Thorogreen Bean is useful in Canning, Dried, Freezing, Fresh Markets, Home Gardens (DM) Approximately 70 seeds per ounce or 1,120 seeds per pound. Lima beans are rich in fiber and protein, but contain hardly a trace of fat. Their high magnesium content relaxes veins and arteries in the body, improving blood oxygen levels and the circulation of nutrients. Another super-food from your own back yard!
Each seed packet contains approximately 35 seeds. Available from SeedGro, an American brand offering only the best natural, non-GMO, open-pollinated, hybrid, and heirloom untreated seeds.
Early Thorogreen Bean are high in starch, protein, dietary fiber, and minerals such as potassium, iron, selenium, and molybdenum. See below the How to Grow Early Thorogreen Bean Guide and some of your family’s favorite food!
Timing
Direct sow during a warm, dry spell. Soil must be warm – if it is not warm enough, seeds will rot, especially our untreated Early Thorogreen Bean seeds. Optimal soil temperature: 70-90°F
Starting
Sow seeds 1-2” deep, 2-3″ apart, in rows 18-24″ apart. Thin to at least 6″ apart in each row. If the weather is too wet, beans can also be started in pots indoors and set out carefully a few weeks later. For a continuous harvest, plant at 3 week intervals. Seeds will sprout in 8-16 days, depending on conditions.
Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.5. Well drained, warm soil in full sun is best. Raised beds help with both drainage and warmth. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer for every 10′ of row. Too much nitrogen fertilizer is often the cause of poor pod set and delayed maturity. If beans flower but do not set pods, the cause can be zinc deficiency. Try spraying the plants with kelp based fertilizer. Wet leaves on crowded plants are subject to diseases. Thin plants to increase air circulation and avoid touching the leaves while they are wet.
Harvest
Pick beans regularly to keep the plant producing (if pods get fat with seed, the plant will stop flowering). The smaller the bean, the more tender they are.
Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 75% of seeds should germinate. Usual seed life: 3 years. Per 100′ row: 800 seeds. Per acre: 232M seeds.
Diseases & Pests
Aphids – A hard stream of water can be used to remove aphids from plants. Wash off with water early in the day. Check for natural enemies such as gray-brown or bloated parasitized aphids and the presence of larvae of lady beetles and lacewings.
Spider mites (two-spotted) – Wash off with water early in the day. A hard stream of water can be used to remove mites.
Leafhoppers – Small, light green to grey insects that feed on the plant juices, causing stunted growth, and transferring viruses. No cultural control available.