April is National Garden Month! Get in the mood for Spring by sprouting your very own lima beans at home! Lima beans grow best in temperatures above 60 degrees, so springtime is the ideal time to start. Teach your children how this nutritious Food of the Month (FoM) grows by letting them participate in planting the beans. The best part about lima beans is that they grow quickly so you don’t have to have a lot of patience!
Check out our pictures for step by step guidance on this project!
What You Need:
- Lima bean seeds (we used Fordhook)
- Water
- A plastic bag
- A paper towel
- Clay pot (4-6 inch diameter)
- Soil
- Total cost – about $5.00
DAY 1
Fill a cup with warm water and place four lima beans seeds inside the cup. Let them soak overnight.
DAY 2
In the morning, remove the seeds from the water. You may see a small white sprout coming out of your seeds, but if not, that’s okay!
Fold a paper towel so it fits inside your plastic bag. Dampen the towel with water, but not to the point that it is soaking wet. Place the paper towel in the bag, then add the seeds.
Seal the bag, and put in a sunny spot where your children can see it.
DAYS 3-5
Over the next few days, watch your seeds sprout! The seeds will begin to grow roots.
DAY 6-9
When the roots become about an inch and half long, transfer seeds to a clay pot.
Fill the pot with soil, then use your finger to make two holes in the soil. Place the beans, root side down, in the pot, then cover with extra soil.
Continue to water the plants so the soil is damp, but not soaked.
DAY 10-11
A few days after you planted your seeds in the soil, they will break through the soil and develop leaves. At this point, you can transfer the seeds to an outside garden if you want to grow actual lima beans, or watch them continue to grow indoors!
