Bill Leach Butterbean Lima Seeds | Kentucky Appalachian Heirloom Pole Lima

The story of the Bill Leach Butterbean is a profound testament to traditional mountain seed-saving and generational stewardship.

• **Pine Mountain Origins:** Native to the Pine Mountain community in Harlan County, Kentucky, this landrace bean was carefully preserved and passed down through local mountain family networks—deeply tied to the historic Pine Mountain Settlement School (where Dr. William Matthew "Bill" Leach's mother, Elsie Creech Leach, was a grandchild of the school's original land donors).
• **The Leach Family Connection:** Dr. William Matthew "Bill" Leach (1933–2018) and his family maintained deep roots in the region, practicing time-honored Appalachian seed-saving traditions by growing and sharing regionally adapted crops year after year.
• **Conservation & Revival:** To prevent the loss of this irreplaceable southern Appalachian food crop, the variety was championed and distributed through preservation organizations like the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center, ensuring its survival for future generations of gardeners.

The Bill Leach Butterbean is an absolute powerhouse of heirloom charm and gourmet culinary performance, offering beauty on the vine and luxury on the plate.

• **The Plant & Pods:** Vigorous, high-climbing pole vines that thrive in summer heat, producing abundant roughly 3-inch pods filled with plump, beautiful seeds.
• **Flavor & Texture:** Celebrated for producing very sweet, plump green-shell butterbeans that boast an exceptionally rich flavor and meltingly creamy texture.
• **Culinary Uses:** Exceptional when harvested fresh as tender green shelling beans for traditional summer succotash, or allowed to dry on the vine for hearty, soul-warming cold-weather dishes.

The Bill Leach Butterbean is a vigorous, warm-season annual pole bean tailored for heavy yields and reliable mountain-hardy performance from summer straight through to frost

"The Bill Leach Butterbean holds a deeply special place in Appalachian agricultural history. Knowing this vigorous pole lima was preserved through generations of the Leach family in Harlan County, Kentucky—and tied to the historic Pine Mountain Settlement School—makes growing it a true privilege. It climbs high, bears heavy yields all summer long, and offers the sweetest, creamiest butterbeans you can possibly imagine."

• **Warm Soil Direct Sowing:** Direct sow seeds in late spring *after* all danger of frost has passed and soil has thoroughly warmed to at least 65°F (18°C). Lima beans are sensitive to cold, wet soils and will rot if planted prematurely.
• **Install Strong Support:** Set up sturdy trellises, bean towers, or tall poles (6 to 8 feet high) before planting to support the vigorous, climbing vines.
• **Spacing & Moisture:** Plant seeds 1 inch deep and space 10-12 inches apart along your trellis. Provide consistent moisture during flowering and pod development, watering at the base to keep foliage healthy.