Why do we have a large bushy lima bean plant with large pods but very low production on the beans?
There are quite a few reasons why your beans lack fruit. Here is a link that describes the most common reasons. From here you will be able to further diagnose your plants.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/bean-blossoms-no-pods.htm
I grew lima beans for the first time this year, and as I had to do a lot of traveling this summer for work, the garden has kind of gone by the wayside. There are a lot of healthy looking lima bean plans (and beans) out there, but can I just let them dry on the bush and shell them out when they are completely dry and rehydrate them like navy beans? thanks... Cindy
Yes, you can produce dry lima beans just as you've suggested. This article has a guide to growing dry beans (see page 2 for the lima bean advice):
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/growing-dry-beans-and-peas-zm0z14amzsto?pageid=1#PageContent1
I have a lima bean plant and not sure what to do with it, any special tips?
This will be a very easy plant to grow. This article will guide you on how to do this: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/how-to-grow-lima-beans.htm
For the first time I planted Lima beans in my garden and was very excited to harvest recently, I was terribly disappointed when I cooked it was so bitter I had to throw the whole casserole away. what caused it to be so bitter??
Lima beans can be a bit tricky. Overcooking causes them to turn bitter.
Also, be sure to cook fresh lima beans before consummption as they contain compounds that produce cyanide when crushed or chewed. Boiling releases the toxins.
Here is an article that will help you with the general care of Lima beans: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/how-to-grow-lima-beans.htm
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/families-health/nutrition/should-i-worry-about-cyanide-lima-beans
https://extension.purdue.edu/foodlink/food.php?food=lima%20bean
https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/documents/BeansCookingChart.pdf
They have full sun and are watered every morning. It’s lush like a hedge
This could be an issue of too much nitrogen in the soil, or not enough phosphorus and potassium. I would test your soil to know, exactly, what is wrong. Here is an article that will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
Alternatively, you may not need to water every day. Wet soils can cause blossom formation, but fruit drop. The soil needs to dry, thoroughly, down to about 3 inches or so between watering. This will not, likely, be on a schedule. It will be as it is needed.
You can test your soil moisture to be more accurate:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-moisture-in-plants.htm
Here is an article that will offer more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/bean-blossoms-no-pods.htm
I live in MD.My garden soil is rich. I see lots of pollinators, particularly bumblebees in the garden. I\'m wondering if my soil is too rich for limas. I thought there would be fewer flowers if that was the case. I don\'t add any fertilizer. I add lime to the soil because i have used a lot of pine needle mulch over the years. I get plenty of bush green beans from much smaller plantings than the limas. We had adequate rainfall over the summer with some periods of high heat...mostly 90s and a couple of 100-degree days. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
This will be from , either, too much nitrogen in your soil, and/or high temperatures. Both will cause these symptoms. Beans harvest nitrogen from the atmosphere, and put it into the soil. Having too much will cause lack of pod production. Some beans are a little more sensitive to these factors than others.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/bean-blossoms-no-pods.htm
These articles will help you to test you soil:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
This article will help you to grow Lima beans to their potential:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/beans/how-to-grow-lima-beans.htm