How to grow edamame (soybean)

Glycine max · Fabaceae · Vegetable

Edamame (Soybean) is a warm-season vegetable in the Fabaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 75–100 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: Vegetable soybeans, picked young when the pods are plump and bright green. The whole plant tends to mature at once, so sow two or three times. Boil pods 5 minutes in salted water and pop the beans out.

Sowing

Sow about 1.3″ deep, into soil between 60–95°F — germination is quickest near 77°F. It comes up fast (5–10 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 4″ along the row with roughly 24″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 18″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 12″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Edamame (Soybean) needs roughly 75–100 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant edamame (soybean)

Companions

Common problems

Pests: bean leaf beetle, Japanese beetle, stink bug.

Diseases & disorders: bacterial blight, downy mildew, soybean mosaic virus.

Same family (Fabaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.