I had powdery mildew problems for awhile, too. Planting the various plants further apart helped as well as some sulphur based garden dust, but mostly just leaving more air space between the plants helped more than the dust.

Years ago I planted four Christmas lima beans. Just four seeds. The vines got to about thirty feet long, tried to eat my garden shed and covered over a fence and tried to take over the banana patch as well. They not only produced lima beans, but a LOT of lima beans. Probably about a five gallon bucket's worth of lima beans. They lasted for several years, too, not just a season and then died off.

The Christmas lima beans lost their red colors when they were cooked and they didn't taste as nice as I'd hoped, so choose a variety that you like the taste of. They were extremely vigorous and productive, though!

I had so many Lima beans I got tired of them. The best are the bush Limas that are small with a tender skin. But they are annuals. Some day I'll grow some more! I recently moved back to my place in Makawao. The wetter weather is not so conducive to powdery mildew. I have large tomato and pepper vines. I went to a garden in Kihei and the powdery mildew had ravaged the tomatoes. guess it is just something hot weather climates have to put up with.

i grow lablab beans. they seem to be the most prolific and use able bean i grow. i would love to try the perennial lima bean but haven't found seed for it yet! lablab is a perennial vine. great for dry beans if you forget to harvest in time, they stay one the vine for a long time before they start to decompose. effortless endless supply of beans!