Giant Bean Plants

Christmas Limas

• The Christmas Lima produces bean pods up to 9 incjhes long with colorful beans about the size of a quarter. Christmas Limas originated in Peru and found favor in the American Southwest in the mid-1800s. This bean variety does best in drier climates. Plants grow tall with a vining habit. In good growing conditions with proper support, this lima bean could reach 12 feet or more in height. Christmas Limas need 110 days to produce a crop. Growers compare the flavor to chestnuts. Another large lima, White Christmas, resulted from a cross between ordinary King-of-the-Garden lima beans and Christmas Limas.

Giant White Limas

• Slightly smaller than the Christmas Lima, the Giant White Lima bean originated in Central America but migrated to Peru several thousand years ago. Spanish explorers brought the bean to Africa where this pole bean now thrives. Growth habit resembles the Christmas lima, but the beans average an inch in length.

Fava Beans

• Fava beans, or horse beans, don't need support and may grow 6 feet high. The beans of large-seeded varieties resemble large lima beans. Fava beans require temperatures below 80 degrees to set seed and produce poorly in areas with higher summer temperatures. The Fava bean produces only a few pods before stalling if planted where summer heat rises above the low 80's. Plants survive temperatures down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, making the fava a good cover crop for home gardens.

Yard-Long Beans

• The Yard-Long Bean -- a relative of the cow pea -- could grow pods nearly 3 feet long, but the usual size falls between 1 1/2 and 2 feet in length. Pods should be picked when green, like snap beans. Plants require 6 feet of trellising for support, and continue to produce as long as gardeners pick the beans. Leaving pods on the vines to mature halts production.

Castor Beans

• Grown as an annual ornamental in temperate climates, this tropical plant reaches 10 feet in height in just one season. Mature plants in tropical zones might reach 40 feet. Gardeners can choose from green-, purple- or red-leaved varieties. Star-shaped large leaves and showy flower spikes give the castor bean a distinctive look. Castor beans contain ricin, a potent poison, and could sicken wildlife, children and pets if not collected and destroyed. Cutting flowers before seeds set prevents beans from forming.

Scarlet Runner Beans

• American gardeners usually plant this vining bean for its lush growth. Originally from Central America, this bean's vines reach 15 feet with heavy blooms of red flowers. Harvest the beans for the table while in the green pod or fresh shell bean stages. Beans resemble limas in size and texture.