How to grow Edamame
in the US

Edamame, or soybeans as some call them, are a proper cracking crop to grow, dead easy and rewarding. They're part of the Fabaceae family, you know, like beans and peas, and they actually help put nitrogen back into your soil, which is grand for everything else you're growing. I'm always chuffed when I see the pods filling out on the plants on my plot, ready for a good snack.

Sowing

You want to direct sow your edamame seeds straight into the ground once all danger of last frost has passed, and the soil has really warmed up. For folks in colder spots like USDA Zone 3, that'll be June or July, but if you're in Zone 9 or 10, you can get started as early as February or March, and keep sowing right through summer. Plant the seeds about 1 inch deep and space them 3-4 inches apart in rows, with about 2-3 feet between rows. If you can get hold of it, inoculating the seeds with a nitrogen-fixing bacteria before you sow them will give you the best results, like I say, it's a real boost for the plants.

Growing on

Once your edamame seedlings are up and growing, you might want to thin them out a bit to about 6 inches apart, giving each plant a bit of room to spread its roots and produce plenty of pods. They don't usually need any kind of fancy support, they're quite bushy plants, which is handy. You can even grow them in containers if you're a bit short on space, just make sure the pot is a decent size for them to thrive. Remember, they're nitrogen fixers, so don't be tempted to over-fertilize them with nitrogen, or you'll get lots of leaves and not many beans.

Looking after it

Edamame plants are fairly low maintenance, which is why I reckon they're so easy. The main thing is keeping them watered, especially when they're flowering and the pods are forming. A good layer of mulch around the plants will help keep the soil moist and stop the weeds from taking over, which means less work for you. Just keep an eye on them during any dry spells, you know, make sure they're not getting too thirsty.

What goes wrong

Like most beans, edamame can attract a few unwanted visitors. You might spot Mexican bean beetles, aphids, bean leaf beetles, or even Japanese beetles having a nibble on the leaves. To be honest, the best way to deal with them early on is just to pick them off by hand. For aphids, a squirt of soapy water can work wonders. Keep an eye out regularly, and you can usually catch them before they become a proper problem.

Harvest

Your edamame will be ready to pick in about 80 days from sowing, usually from August through September, depending on when you planted them. You'll know they're ready when the pods are plump and green, but not yellowing. Pick them when the beans inside are still tender and sweet. You can harvest the whole plant or just pick individual pods as they ripen. They store well in the fridge for a few days, or you can blanch and freeze them for later, which is what I do with a good glut.