Wondering about the difference between limas and butter beans? They’re the same type of legume, though Southerners usually call them butter beans and cook them with pork. To successfully grow either one in your garden, choosing the type that grows well in your region and space is more important than what you call them.
From baby limas to towering ‘King of the Garden,’ you’ll find 13 of the best butter bean and lima bean cultivars to grow in your garden right here. Some are bush varieties, others top 10 feet tall and need support. A few picks are heirloom standouts, and some produce extra early for those with short growing seasons.
Homegrown lima beans or butter beans are tastier than any you could buy in a store. This guide explains how to grow baby or large limas in your garden, and gives harvest and storage tips, too. Plant a bumper crop of bush or vine cultivars, and cook or freeze the harvest for side dishes, hummus, or casseroles
Plant summer alfalfa as a cover crop in autumn, or grow this nitrogen-rich legume as an annual or perennial source of mulch and compost. If you have enough space, you can also grow it as animal feed for horses and cows. Learn the basics of planting, tending, and harvesting homegrown alfalfa in this guide. Read more now.
Beans are an easy veggie to grow in the garden, even for beginners. However, it’s important to harvest this summer staple at the right size so you get the most bang for your buck, and the best texture. Read more now to learn our easy techniques for picking fresh snap beans, as well as the best time to harvest them.
Bring the New Year’s good luck tradition into your garden when you grow black-eyed peas. These tasty legumes condition the soil, and thrive in average dirt, high temperatures, and even drought, making them low labor additions to the summer garden. Learn how to grow your own black-eyed peas in this guide. Read more now.
Ready for a tour of 35 of the best bush bean varieties? Whether you are growing in planters, worried about bean diseases, or dealing with unusually hot or cool summer conditions, there’s a variety for every garden. Discover the best classic snap, stringless, filet, wax, purple, and Romano bush varieties. Read more now.
Are you ready to harvest baskets full of homegrown bush beans, from your own backyard? These summer vegetables are easy to grow and so delicious when they are picked fresh from the garden. Read on to learn everything you need to know about growing your own bush beans, from sowing seeds all the way to harvest time.
Perfume your garden, and your neighbors’ gardens, with the glorious scent of Texas mountain laurel. Come springtime, this evergreen shrub displays numerous spectacular clusters of aromatic purple flowers. The lovely plant is drought tolerant, deer resistant, and easy to grow. Get expert tips and advice now.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-grow vegetable that tastes like spring but promises the advent of summer, visit Gardener’s Path to learn how to grow English peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas. Our experts offer advice for selecting, planting, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, and cooking these crispy green legumes.
Green beans are the way to go if you need a win this garden season. They are quick to germinate and, depending on the variety, mature within two months. This means you can sow seeds repeatedly, well into the growing season, for multiple harvests. Want to learn how to grow your own? Read more now on Gardener’s Path.