King Of The Garden Lima Pole (Climbing Butter) Bean

Be sure to check out our Beans Growing Guide for more tips & tricks on successfully growing beans. 

King Of The Garden Lima Pole Bean, also known as a Climbing Butter Bean is a long-time favorite variety that was introduced in 1883 and brought back in the 1970s. These extremely prolific plants produce dark green pods with 3-5 extremely large cream-colored beans per pod and have been known to be some of the best-tasting beans year after year among gardeners. The excellent eating quality of these beans makes them perfect for canning, freezing, or eating fresh. The large plants can easily climb up to 12' tall with trellising and reliably produce throughout the entire growing season. The King Of The Garden thrives in heat and humidity and the pods are extremely easy to shell once harvested and have been known to grow well even in poor soil conditions.

Beans should be planted in spring after the last frost has occurred. Beans will germinate best once soil temps have reached 65 F or higher. The optimal germination temperature is around 77 F. Seeds can require 8 to 16 days to germinate, depending on the soil temperature. For continual production, succession plant every couple of weeks throughout the spring and early summer. Plants will drop blooms or cease production in the heat of summer. Subsequent succession plantings may be made in late summer/fall, as long as enough time is permitted before the first frost date.

Direct seeding is recommended. We suggest using a #6 plate on the Hoss Garden Seeder and modifying the hole size (if necessary) to fit the seed size. Beans should be planted relatively thick along the row and thinned to the desired spacing. To maximize garden space, consider using double-row spacing.

King Of The Garden Lima Pole (Climbing Butter) Bean Planting Information

Planting Method: direct sow

When to Plant: after last frost

Planting Depth: 1"

Seed Spacing: 3-4"

Row Spacing: 3'

Days to Maturity: 85

Disease Resistance: None