How to Grow Lupini

Check with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to see if you live in hardiness zone 5 through 8, where lupini grows best. Find an area in your garden that provides full to partial sunlight to plants. Prepare the ground by loosening the top 18 inches of soil with a shovel or tiller. Mix in fertilizer as you till, according to directions on the fertilizer package.

Find and purchase lupine seeds online or some garden centers may carry them. Sow seeds according to your zone. Layout seed on the ground at a rate of 6 seeds per foot. Push each seed in to a depth of 3/4 inch, with your finger. Or without measuring, push seeds in the ground with your index finger until the ground touches your first knuckle. Fill in each hole with soil, but do not pack it.

Thin your rows by removing seedlings that appear weak or damaged. Leave about 2 seedlings per foot. Also leave about 18 inches in between rows, so you can access both sides of the rows when harvesting the beans. Pull existing weeds at this time, and remove any debris from the area. Lupini plants are not competitive, and weeds cause these plants to develop slowly or die out.

Water your lupini bean plants -- at least 1 inch of water per week. These plants do not require a great deal of water, making them economical to grow. If your plants look wilted during hot, dry weather, water them twice a week.

Harvest beans toward the end of the growing season, usually in September, depending on your zone. Lupini bean plants grow to about 2 feet, but some may grow up to 4 feet. They do not vine, but grow similarly to bush green beans. Preserve beans that you do not use immediately by drying, freezing or canning them.