We all have a can or two of butter beans in our pantry. They are an easy, cheap and convenient way to add a serving of protein to a salad or a vegetarian curry. Butter beans in a can have been pre-cooked and canned in a special brine to preserve their nutrients and shelf life.
How To – Butter Beans
Yet growing butter beans and eating them fresh from the vegetable garden is indeed the next level of self-sufficiency. Butter beans are easy to grow and the plant’s upward growing habit makes them a high yielding and space-saving crop.
Butter bean is the modern and conventional name given to the lima bean, yet lima beans could hardly be referenced to butter except for few varieties with a pale cream colour and a smooth and buttery texture when cooked. Lima beans originated in South America but quickly populated agricultural cultures outside the tropical latitudes with new breeds adaptable to local climates and cuisine.
All these varieties can be grouped into bush plants and pole plants. Bush plants grow up to 1m tall, while pole plants are like runners with vigorous vines. High cropping and low-maintenance plants, pole lima beans can be grown literally anywhere if there is a structure for them to climb on. Timber fences are a good option but the bean plant may spread through the gap of the pickets so make sure you have access to the other side for harvesting. The thick green foliage and the soft white flowers will bring a fresh and decorative effect to any spring garden. Pole beans do not require a rich soil but plenty of sun and free-draining soil is necessary for healthy plant. Slight acidic soil is preferred.
Seeds do not require pre-soaking, but some growers opt for a few hours soaking before sowing.
Good practice will suggest keeping some seeds aside from the harvest for the following season, especially if the seeds are the fruit of healthy plants from good varieties.
How to GROW Butter Beans
Planting
Dig holes 2cm wide and 3cm deep along a row: space them 15cm apart. The medium finger or the handle of a garden trowel would do the trick. Take out of the packet only the seeds you need for your sowing.
Maintenance
Temporary staking can be put into the ground around the sown area to protect the seeds from accidentally stomping, especially from pets like cats or dogs. Temporary stakes can be replaced later with taller stakes for the climbing structure.
Harvest
When picking butter beans, use both hands and be gentle in order to avoid permanent damage to the plant; one hand to hold the vine and the other to twist and snap the pod. Do not leave damaged pods to age on the plant.
Storage
Drying butter beans is the best method to store them for autumn and winter consumption. Pods are left on the plant until full maturity and they are then ready to be harvested when the plant has completely died.
Other Spring Beans
Dwarf Beans
Dwarf beans or green beans produces extremely versatile crops of haricots. Once mature and dried, these beans, also know as fagioli, are extremely popular in Latin America and Europe with varieties including cannellini, borlotti, navy beans and red kidneys. Packed with proteins, consumed fresh when in season and dried or salted off-season, beans can be the main ingredient in many dishes.
Runner Beans
Runner beans, also known as climber beans, produce an amazing yield proportional to the small space that they occupy in the garden. Ideally they can be planted alongside walls and fences and will find all the support they need to climb. Well supported, the plant will become mature and produce pods within 10 weeks. Popular varieties are White Lady and Scarlet Emperor, with amazing flavour and highly decorative when blossoming. Also known as legumes, they represent the staple diet of many cultures. Runner beans are versatile and can also be a go-to for vegetarian diets and cuisines. Once the harvest has been completed, plants can be pulled off the ground and buried directly into the ground; the nitrogen-fixing bacteria will rot and break down the plant in no time.
Broad Beans
Broad bean plants grow vigorously and reach for the sky! They can be up to 2m tall at full maturity. The trick is to pick the tip off when the plant is about 1.2m tall. This process will stop the production of greenery and concentrate all the plant efforts in flowering and setting more pods. Two main varieties are long pods and short pod. Long pods have kidney-shaped beans which dry and store very well, while the round beans from the short pods are excellent for eating fresh. Broad bean plants can tolerate heavy soils if there is good drainage, and the tap roots will dig deep to anchor the free-standing plant. Press the seed 5cm deep into damp soil and 75cm apart along a row. Seedlings will appear within two weeks, so make sure you protect the young plants from birds and snails.
