VegetableBean
Early Thorogreen Lima Bean
Early Thorogreen Lima Bean is a reliable, high-yielding bush variety that matures in 60-69 days, making it one of the fastest lima beans you can grow. This open-pollinated heirloom thrives in heat and produces tender beans with a rich, buttery flavor that justifies why lima beans earned the nickname 'butter beans.' Growing 12-24 inches tall in a compact upright form, it adapts beautifully to containers, raised beds, or garden plots across hardiness zones 3-9, and resists three major diseases that plague other limas.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
4
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-9
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Early Thorogreen delivers genuine speed without sacrificing yield or flavor. Its bush habit means no trellising required, yet it still produces prolifically enough to make preservation worthwhile. The buttery, tender beans emerge in under 70 days, and the plant's heat tolerance keeps it productive through midsummer when many vegetables flag. Disease resistance to bacterial blight, downy mildew, and powdery mildew means fewer headaches than you'd expect from a heirloom variety.
Common Uses
Early Thorogreen shines as a fresh shell bean, where those tender, buttery kernels are best appreciated. Harvest at peak maturity and enjoy them steamed or in succotash, where their delicate flavor complements corn perfectly. They're equally suited to preserving through freezing or canning, which is why home gardeners have long treasured this variety for putting food by. The beans dry well too, though most growers prefer them fresh or fresh-frozen when the flavor is brightest.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 60-65°F. Lima beans are sensitive to cold and will rot in chilly, wet soil, so patience with timing pays off. Plant into warm ground and germination typically occurs within 7-10 days.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting when pods feel full and slightly bulged but still snap crisply between your fingers; the beans inside should be plump and tender, not yet hard and fully mature. Most pods reach harvestable size 60-69 days after planting. Pick pods regularly to encourage continued flowering and production. For fresh eating, snap open the pods and slip the beans out; for drying, allow pods to cure on the plant until they brown and papery, then shell and store.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Phaseolus lunatus
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Phaseolus
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)VI (I)
History & Origin
“This variety carries the mark of a true heirloom: open-pollinated and non-GMO, Early Thorogreen has been preserved through generations of gardeners who valued its combination of speed, reliability, and flavor. It represents the kind of practical lima bean that American home gardeners selected for and saved through the 20th century, prioritizing early maturity and abundant harvests over the larger butter beans that took longer to mature. Its survival speaks to gardeners who refused to abandon lima beans despite their reputation for fussiness.”