Not available for 2012.

Lima beans originated in Peru as early as 5,000 B.C., and were eaten by Inca tribes. They were known as "moon bean" by seventeenth-century European herbalists because of the quarter-moon shape of the seed pod; the species name, "lunatus," reinforces this resemblance. Although red-seeded lima beans were known earlier, the 'Red Calico' lima bean has been grown by the T. B. Thweat family of Tennessee since the 1790's.

Sow 'Red Calico' seed in sunny, fertile soil soon after the last spring frost because lima beans need a long, warm growing season to bear prolifically. Monticello gardeners plant the seeds in two-feet wide, slightly raised "hills," four or five seeds to a hill. The hills are then spaced 8 feet apart. The climbing bean plants are then supported by a series of nine-foot-high bean poles that are joined together at the top, teepee style.

Approximately 10 seeds per pack.

Image courtesy Terri Keffert.