You can harvest the limas any time after the the seeds have filled out, based upon your taste preferences. They will be easiest to shell though - and more colorful - if you harvest pods in shelly stage, when they change color & get rubbery close to the stem. Limas dry rapidly, there is a fairly short window between shelly stage & dry... so for butterbeans, you need to pick at least every 2-3 days.

Limas do take a long time to mature, but the biggest reason is that they are being grown to seed maturity (as opposed to immature pods for snap beans). Many pole beans, if grown for dry seed, take just as long... "Fortex", for one, takes longer to get to dry stage than many of my limas.

This has been a cooler year than normal for many of us, and heat loving crops - like limas - are later than usual. Mine are late too, but should still be able to make it before frost. As for whether they are a waste of space... you'll be able to better decide after your first meal of home-grown butterbeans. Personally, I can't imagine a year without them, and freeze enough to enjoy throughout the winter.

Thanks - I haven't noticed any turning color yet - yellowish? I'll check the stems.

Funny, I know these are speckled but I assumed it was only in dry stage. Some pix I saw on some seed websites show green beans in green pods - maybe they used "generic" lima bean picture (same one) for Jackson Wonder?

I've been picking green/snap beans every other day at most, even then I find some big ones.

In case you're unfamilair with them, when the seeds "fill out" is not going to result in a pod that is any fatter. I almost missed my first flush of limas because people assume you know what it looks like when limas fill out. The pods stay flat, but you can see through them a bit with the help of the sun to see that the bean has reached the edges of the pod. After a while I got good at feeling the difference between the ones that were ready and those that aren't yet.

Limas need a lot of heat to do their thing. With this unusually cool summer on the east coast here, I suspect yours are just going slow.

Yep.................big learning curve for harvesting fresh limas. I had some early ones (in the window on the seed container) but they were hidden under the foliage. It was a pain to collect them, but oh.......my......gosh how delicious and makes one appreciate why they are expensive fresh at market when you can even get them. I have some ready to harvest now, but the main crop has a way to go. It'll ripen before frost. It is very hard to tell when the pods fill, so you sort of have to just get the feel for it.

I grew them last year. Decided they were way too much more trouble than worth.

I did find 1 that was brownish, 1 that was kind of yellow-green. How limp do you want the stem end? They're not going to get big like shelly beans or edamame, I can tell that now. 91 yesterday and some more heat for the next week so hopefully that will get them going. And my tomatoes and peppers too!

It is not rocket science. You can harvest anytime the beans are large enough for your use. Just open a pod to determine the size. Some folks like baby limas at half size, especially Jackson Wonders which have strong flavor that increases with maturity. Of course you get more yield at full size. Be aware that at full maturity (yellow leathery pod) they can become brown dry pods overnight. Harvest widow for full size shellies is quite narrow. Personnaly, I let a few pods reach maturity, then do a full harvest.
{{gwi:107041}}

Thanks. I've just got a few like the 2nd from the top - do I let them go a little longer? Harvest all at once? The bean next to the bottom pod looks fine to me.

For good eating I would not go further than third from the bottom. Bottom pod will have the best flavor. The top 2 pods I save for seed.

So once the beans start getting some purple to them they aren't that good? I picked some and opened them:

I found that when the beans were worth eating, it was too hard to shell them, when the shelling got easier, the beans were past their prime.

Concur: altho a few colored one ones in a pot are ok. The older beans add flavor. But lots of older beans is too much flavor for a lot of people. Jackson Wonder is about the most prolific baby lima that I have grown, but they are not for everyone. I f you prefer a less intense flavor try one of the green seeded varieties.

Darn, I think most are ready then. And market isn't until Wed. I guess I'll be eating a lot of limas - I'll make the kids try them too, maybe they'll like the green ones.

I got a free seed packet from NE seed so I decided to try these this year.

I picked about 1 lb (weighed in shell). Still a few left but not many. How long will they continue to produce? I did have someone call looking for them.

Bush limas tend to set a crop. rest awhile and then set a second crop. In a good year I can get three crops. I usually pick each crop clean.

Me too. I picked the second crop last night, and am having some for summer tonight. The last and final crop will come on before frost. It's HEAVY with bloom and the bees are working it and small pods are beginning to form now. It's worth the wait, they're not much trouble through the season. Mine have never been beset with insects, and are so nice and full that the soil stays moist beneath them. Just till between the rows and let them alone. LOL

I don't know if there's time for a 2nd crop here.

How long do limas keep in the fridge if you keep them in the shell? I've been blanching and freezing green beans for days on end, wonder if I should do the same with the pound of limas I got (off about a dozen plants - I don't know if that's good or bad yield).