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When to Plant Lima Beans in California

California spans USDA hardiness 5b to 11a (zones 5b to 11a on this page). Plant lima beans by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.

Jump to: Zone 5b · Zone 6a · Zone 6b · Zone 7a · Zone 7b · Zone 8a · Zone 8b · Zone 9a · Zone 9b · Zone 10a · Zone 10b · Zone 11a

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 5b

Average last spring frost

April 30

Average first fall frost

October 5

🌿

Direct sow

May 21

🌾

Projected first harvest

Aug 4

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 5b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 6a

Average last spring frost

April 25

Average first fall frost

October 10

🌿

Direct sow

May 16

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jul 30

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 6a (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 6b

Average last spring frost

April 20

Average first fall frost

October 15

🌿

Direct sow

May 11

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jul 25

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 6b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 7a

Average last spring frost

April 15

Average first fall frost

October 20

🌿

Direct sow

May 6

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jul 20

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 7a (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 7b

Average last spring frost

April 10

Average first fall frost

October 30

🌿

Direct sow

May 1

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jul 15

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 7b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 8a

Average last spring frost

April 1

Average first fall frost

November 10

🌿

Direct sow

Apr 22

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jul 6

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 8a (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 8b

Average last spring frost

March 20

Average first fall frost

November 20

🌿

Direct sow

Apr 10

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jun 24

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 8b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 9a

Average last spring frost

March 1

Average first fall frost

December 1

🌿

Direct sow

Mar 22

🌾

Projected first harvest

Jun 5

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 9a (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 9b

Average last spring frost

February 15

Average first fall frost

December 15

🌿

Direct sow

Mar 8

🌾

Projected first harvest

May 22

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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 9b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 10a

Average last spring frost

January 30

Average first fall frost

December 30

🌿

Direct sow

Feb 20

🌾

Projected first harvest

May 6

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A
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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 10a (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 10b

Average last spring frost

January 30

Average first fall frost

December 30

🌿

Direct sow

Feb 20

🌾

Projected first harvest

May 6

J
F
M
A
M
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J
A
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O
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🌱 Start indoors🌿 Growing outside🌾 HarvestTodayZone 10b (approximate)

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →

Lima Beans planting calendar for California, Zone 11a

Zone 11a doesn't get a seasonal frost — lima beans plants on a warm/cool-season calendar instead of frost dates.

🗓️

Best planting window

Cool season (≈ Sep–Feb)

🌾

Time to harvest

~75 days

🌴 Your zone never frosts, so planting is timed to the cooler vs. warmer seasons rather than a frost date.

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🌿 Planting windowTodayZone 11a: frost-free; timed to seasons, not frost

Lima Beans is ready to harvest in about 75 days.

Not sure which half-zone you're in? Set your ZIP in HomeSown for dates tuned to your exact location.

Varieties to grow

1 variety of lima beans in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.

Fordhook 242 Lima Bean →

Common problems with lima beans

What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each

Mexican Bean BeetleBean Leaf BeetleBean Leaf RollerCowpea CurculioPea MothSeed Corn MaggotAngular Leaf SpotBlossom DropCharcoal RotBacterial Soft RotFusarium WiltTomato Spotted Wilt Virus

🌱 Grow lima beans with a calendar built for your exact yard

HomeSown turns your ZIP code into a personalized planting calendar, watering reminders, and pest help. Free to start.

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lima beans — full zone guide

All zonesZone 5 →Zone 6 →Zone 7 →Zone 8 →Zone 9 →Zone 10 →