Anyone Else disappointed with Lima Production?

14 years ago

Legumes are good for you, they are low in fat and a good source of protein. I grew a double row of 25 feetof Forkhook. I thought for sure that would give 2 people plenty of limas for the table. I wanted to freeze them and put some out on the T-day table.

What I actually got was a bowl full, many smaller ones. About the size of a bag in the frozen section of the grocery store.

The plants grew so slowly over the course of months, so slowly that I ignored them, they got plenty of rain water but we didnt get much sun due to all the rainy days.

Then the pods appeared and I jumped for joy. Then those grew slowly and I finally harvested the first small amount in late August or early September. I could do another harvest now before I rip the plants out and I could probably expect about a cup full.

For how much room they took up in my rows, it sure is disappointing to only have a couple cups full.

Anyone else experience low yields? I will try again next year and hopefully the sun is stronger during the season, to see if that affects my yield.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

mid_night_gardener
14 years ago
Yes, my Lima's did terrible this year. They got hit with powdery mildew early on and never really produced many beans after that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Giant Pumpkin Seeds
gardener_sandy
14 years ago
I grew one of the baby limas (either Henderson or Early Thorogreen, don't remember which right now) and had the same sort of problem. For a small garden, they just didn't produce enough to justify the space and effort. I even got them to produce a second batch by fertilizing and watering in mid-summer and it was still a pitifully poor showing.

I had always grown my veggies in traditional rows in a large garden with at least two 100' rows of limas. Now I have a very small "square foot" type garden and I won't try the bush variety again. It takes a lot of room to produce a nice crop of limas.

I suspect that pole beans would be better since they produce over a much longer period of time than bush beans. I might try them next year just to say I've done everything I can to have a good crop. I love limas fresh from the garden and will miss them if it doesn't work out.

Others may have different ideas of why they were so disappointing. Good luck.

Sandy
Related Discussions
Did anyone else grow 'charantais' melons this year?
Q
Comments (8)
Charentais melons have a propensity to crack and sunscakd for me. Even if I am very careful not to over-water, some will probably crack badly in hot weather. I have better luck growing them on a fence and making sure the fruits are shaded. I try to time them to ripen before or after the hottest weather. My Father-in-law had great luck with the Honey Girl hybrid, timed to ripen in fall. I grew two little melons which both (I think) have some Charentais parentage, but may be easier to grow in some conditions. One is Tasty Bites, reportedly a hybrid between a Charentais and an Ananas melon. It is netted, which helps prevent sunscald and cracking. The fruits slip when ripe, which makes them easier to harvest than Charentais. Color of the skin under the netting of the ripe fruit is darker than that of the typical muskmelon, like the Ananas parent. Texture is tender and melting A sweet, nicely flavored melon but not a Charentais. There is also a Tasty Bites melon mix with honeydew-type melons in different colors, so be sure you are getting the seeds you want. The other little melon is Extra Summer Sweet. It is more productive than the traditional Charentais types. It can be variable in appearance when ripe, sometimes having a yellow caste to the skin or showing a little netting. Pick when blossom end softens slightly. It can also be somewhat variable in texture depending on growing conditions, with a tendency to be firm to the point of crispness. It is always very sweet. It can crack in hot weather here, but it has much less tendency to crack than a Charentais. Here is a link that might be useful: Extra Summer Sweet melon
...See More
Anyone else have frost?
Q
Comments (7)
Nancy- I'm not sure of the name of the apple, because we inherited the tree with the farm. It's got beautiful, small apples that are mostly red, with a little green. They make the best pies and crisps! They're a little tart, but wonderful for baking. I'd say they're kind of like little gala apples, although I'm sure they're not really related. This is an old apple tree, probably at least 40 to 50 years old. Almost everything out here was planted by my husband's grandmother back in the 1950's and 1960's. What's really disappointing, is that after losing them last year, it was so exciting to see the tree covered with bumblebees this spring, resulting in literally hundreds of little apples. It's so sad, that with a few exceptions, most of them are frozen on the tree.
...See More
? for nomorebluekitchen (or anyone else) re: ming green tile
Q
Comments (6)
Hey there. The Biltmore from the Tile Shop is similar to my backsplash but the coloration was definitely stronger, more green than my ming green marble. In person, the ming green doesn't read as green, more grey, cream, even some blue, but also touches of green. But you don't look at it at first and think "that is a green backsplash", whereas the Biltmore to me was instantly a green. Same goes for the Ann Sacks - it is much darker in tone and more definitely green. My backsplash tile is also known as Jade - search for that and you'll find something closer to the color and tone I have. Mine was a closeout on ebay that was fantastically priced but has long since been sold out - great for me, but stinky for anyone else. I paid about $200 total for my backsplash including shipping :) Here is a link showing a jade mosaic tile (hope this works). http://www.mosaicoitaliano.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=40 Anita
...See More
Anyone else looking for crisp sheets?
Q
Comments (110)
I have had two sets of Thomas Lee 100% cotton sheets. They are...to die for. Cool, crisp and smooth. Feel like the sheets my mom line dried in the fresh air back then. Makes me want to go to bed every night. BUT...both have torn. The bottom sheet of the first set actually seemed to wear out and a large tear developed after only a couple years. I thought it must be a fluke so invested in another set. Just couldn’t (can’t ) imagine life without them. Well, the side seam of the top sheet of the second set, now a couple years old, has torn out, I can see actual tiny holes in each stitch point! At well over a hundred dollars on sale, this is ridiculous (I considered them one of my few luxuries). I will try calling the company. I am heart broken, I mean I love these sheets. So begins the search for a new brand!
...See More
wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
14 years ago
I had a very good lima year...last year too. They are trying to set another late crop even now but cold and light frosts might hamper that.

I raise Fordhook 242 bush. I get more production off the bush by far compared to pole. I plant in a double row and they were very vigorous from the start.
mauirose
14 years ago
Maria i had very good luck with Dixie Speckled Butter Pea limas this year. Only a four foot row but i have been able to pick a meal every few weeks and they have good flavor.

My goal is to have perennial, low maintenance vegetables that produce a continous small harvest and these little beans are perfect for that. The only drawback is that picking from the bush form can be a little tedious, especially if you have a 100' row to pick! i will be slowly experimenting with some pole varieties in the future.

There is a lima bean thread on the bean forum with a picture of some Hopi Limas that are absolutely eye-popping, just smothered in fat little pods. You might want to pop over and check it out.

Seems like a lot of folks had unusually cold, wet summer weather this year and i think Limas like it warm so yes, hope the sun is stronger next year for you ; )

MN gardener-how different our experiences are! Long beans and cowpeas absolutely decimated by powdery mildew this year in my garden, green beans almost as bad. The limas? Untouched. One of the few pest and disease free crops for me this year.

Anyone Else disappointed with Lima Production?

Comments (4)

mid_night_gardener

gardener_sandy

Related Discussions

wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana

mauirose

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US