Edamame Growing

Try your hand at growing edamame, an ancient Asian veggie that boasts terrific flavor and nutrition. Edamame is a Japanese word that translates “beans on branches,” which describes the way that this vegetable-type soybean grows: The pods appear in bunches on branched, bushy plants. Unlike livestock-type soybeans, which are tough and oily and allowed to dry on the plants before harvest, edamame offers a tender, toothsome bite and is picked before pods fully ripen. The flavor tastes like a cross between a pea and lima bean.

You eat edamame beans, not pods. Simply squeeze the pod between your fingers, pushing the sweet, nutty beans into your mouth. Each pod yields two or three beans packed with high-quality protein, along with calcium, fiber, vitamin A and isoflavones (health-enriching, disease-fighting compounds). Plants are a cinch to grow, as they’re heat-tolerant and attract few pests.

Edamame and cold weather do not mix, so wait to plant until all danger of frost has passed. Plants demand warm soil, much like basil or tomatoes. Don’t plant seedlings until soil is above 55° F. Edamame plants tolerate diverse conditions, including drought, light shade, and clay soil. You’ll see best yields when plants grow in full sun, tucked into compost-enriched soil with plenty of moisture.

Space edamame 12 to 18 inches apart if you have enough area in the garden, as wider spacing allows more sunlight to reach each plant, often resulting in higher yields. This veggie adapts well to intensive cultivation, though, and you can sow plants as little as 4 inches apart. When edamame matures, all pods on a plant are ready at the same time. To enjoy a long harvest season, use the succession planting technique: Plant a few edamame plants every week or two to ensure fresh beans throughout the growing season.

After planting, keep soil moist until plants are established, then water only when soil is dry. Note, though, that while edamame tolerates drought-like conditions, you’ll get the best harvest with the fattest, most numerous pods when plants receive consistent moisture. Feed your plants with Bonnie Herb, Vegetable & Flower Plant Food at planting and as they start to flower.
Keep weeds down while seedlings are small. Once plants mature, their bushy growth helps shade out weeds. Apply mulch when plants are roughly 4 to 6 inches tall. Choose an organic mulch, such as compost, finely ground leaves, weed-free hay, or finely ground bark. Apply a 1-inch-thick layer over soil, leaving a little space around the plant stems.

Edamame plants tend to grow to about two or three feet high—larger than bush bean plants. Plants may flop over, especially if they’re growing in an area subject to wind and heavy rains, so give them some support. Drive stakes into the soil at both ends of each row, then run a string between the stakes. (You may need two levels of string to keep plants upright.)