Packer’s Lima Bean - Organic

Packer’s
×

Related Items

Exceed® Superior Legume Inoculant, Garden Combo

Packer’s Lima Bean - Organic

seeds
Phaseolus lunatus
(100 days) Open-pollinated. Bush type. When we first offered this lima in 1999, we wrote, “With global warming apparently bringing later fall frosts to our region, limas are becoming a better bet.” Packer’s was the clear winner among a dozen contestants in our original trial way up north in Parkman, ME. In defiance of the chilly location, its branching bush plants were laden with 3" flat pods that matured in profusion. Our recent taste-tester found these small beans to be a “satisfying delicious blend of mealy and oily, with good bean flavor.” Another said, “Almost too sweet and savory.” If you’ve never experienced fresh baby limas right from the garden, you won’t believe how delicious they can be. Light green-white seed. ①

Packer’s Lima: Our 2025 Seed Without a Price

How do we put a monetary value on seeds–living heirlooms, stewarded for generations, whose stories mirror our own? We continue to challenge ourselves and our customers with this question by offering one variety that has no determined price. Last year we offered Maine Sunset dry bean, and once again many of you responded with thoughtfulness and generosity. The highest price paid per packet was $25 (the lowest was $0.)

This year we invite you to pay what you like for Packer’s lima bean. Once we’ve covered our costs, all profit from Packer’s will go into our Seed Farmers Resilience Fund.

Items shipping from our garden seeds warehouse take 1–3 business days to process.
ships year-round
OGThis item is certified organic

323 Packer’s - Organic

This item is currently unavailable.
Would you like us to e-mail you when it's back in stock?
A: 1/2oz
not available yet, check back later

Related Items

Exceed® Superior Legume Inoculant, Garden Combo

Additional Information

More About Packer’s Lima

Ever grown lima beans? Now’s the time to try! Many Americans are haunted by childhood memories of being forced to eat grey mush called lima beans. But trust us—lima beans fresh from the garden are delectable!

From their origins in the food systems of indigenous people spanning the Americas, limas were selected into two distinct types: the larger-seeded plants of the Andes, and a smaller-seeded type of Mexico and southern U.S. When the Spanish colonized Peru, they exported lots of these beans to Europe, where they arrived in boxes labeled “Lima, Peru.” Europeans called them Lima Beans. In the southern U.S. their moniker Butter Beans describes the rich flavor.

In 1999, in recognition of what we then called Global Warming, Fedco began offering Packer’s to growers in the North, where maturing limas was considered iffy. Twenty-five years later, central Maine is reliably warm enough to mature a nice crop of these well-adapted lima beans. The bean seeds we are selling were grown by organic farmers in Iowa.

Lima Beans

  • About 30-60 seeds/oz.
  • Days to maturity are from seeding date

Originally from Peru where they were cultivated 4,000 years ago by the Lima culture.

Culture: Lima beans require more heat than bush beans and are indifferent performers in cold wet summers. Minimum soil temperature 60°, optimal range 70–85°. Tender, will not survive frost. Plant 3–4 seeds/ft in rows 24–30" apart. Plant as other bush or pole beans. Bush limas can be prone to twining (developing viny tendrils). Harvest at shelling stage when beans bulge in fading pliable pods, before pods start to dry out. Pick frequently for maximum yields, but avoid disturbing foliage in wet weather to prevent spread of fungal diseases.

Beans

  • All beans are open-pollinated.
  • Days to maturity are from seeding date.

Culture: Tender, will not survive frost. Inoculate with a legume inoculant, then plant seeds 3–4" apart in rows 24–30" apart after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Minimum germination soil temperature 60°; optimal range 70–80°. White-seeded beans are generally more sensitive to cold soil temps than dark-seeded varieties. Legumes have moderate fertility needs and can fix their own nitrogen.

Saving Seed: Saving bean seed is easy! Leave pods on the plants to dry. Hand shell, or stomp pods on a tarp. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate varieties by 30 feet.

Diseases:

  • ANTH: Anthracnose
  • BBS: Bacterial Brown Spot
  • CBMV: Common Bean Mosaic Virus
  • CTV: Curly Top Virus
  • DM: Downy Mildew
  • HB: Halo Blight
  • NY 15: NY 15 Mosaic Virus
  • PM: Powdery Mildew
  • PMV: Pod Mottle Virus
  • R: Rust
  • SC: Sclerotina

White mold, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, affects more than 300 plant species. In beans, low humidity, good air circulation and wider spacing, both between plants and between rows, reduce the likelihood of this soil-borne infection.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

Non GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.