If you are as addicted to popping steamed, salted edamame into your mouth as a snack during movies or football games, and you’re a gardener, consider growing edamame (soybeans) in your garden. They are a low-maintenance plant that will not only produce plenty of pods for you to munch on, but, like all beans, they also help improve your soil.
Edamame, or soybean, seeds are usually not available in home improvement stores (such as Lowe’s or Home Depot), or in mass retailers like Wal-mart or K-mart. I have been able to find one type of edamame seed in my local garden store, but other local garden stores do not carry it. If you cannot find it locally, edamame seed is available from several online sources, such as Baker Creek, Southern Exposure, Seed Savers Exchange, Victory Seeds, and Territorial Seed Company. Note that these are specialty seed retailers, and they will generally only have a few different types of edamame seed available. The most popular among the online stores are Envy, Beer Friend and Misono, and they can also sometimes be listed as Soya Beans or Soybeans. They are also sometimes listed on their own, not under “beans”. Edamame seed is not inexpensive, but then again, neither is fresh (or frozen) edamame. As with most vegetables, you will more than make up the cost of the seeds with just one plant.
Soybeans should be planted when the ground is warm, after the last frost date for your zone. They can be planted in just about any soil. Mine are planted in clay this year, since beans are great at breaking up tough clay soils, and they can be worked back into the soil as organic matter when the growing season is over. Plant edamame seed about an inch into the ground, 6-12 inches apart, with rows spaced 1-2 feet apart. Some people plant them in bunches rather than in rows. I cover mine with sifted soil, especially when planting in clay, so the sprout does not have to struggle to get up out of the ground. If you have issues with squirrels, racoons, chipmunks, or other critters, plant soybeans under a row cover made with tulle, row cover fabric, or chicken wire, or use cloches. These animals are notorious for digging up beans before they sprout, or just after sprouting, sometimes leading beginners to believe that they got a bad batch of seed.
I cover mine with cloches made from 2-liter bottles with the bottoms cut off. Using a cloche will also create humidity, which will help with the germination process.
Most soybean plants stay under 3 feet in height, but do generally need support. They can be manually trellised, staked, or even caged (using tomato cages from any mass retailer. Those tomato cages are great for peppers and eggplants as well, but, ironically, aren’t much use for most actual tomato plants!) Soybean plants, like tomatoes, are self-pollinators, so they don’t require bees (or manual pollination in lieu of bee activity.) This also means that the plants won’t cross-pollinate, so if you save seed, it will come back true the next year.
And that’s it! Keep them watered and weeded, but other than that, soybeans are a very low-maintenance plant to grow.
Most of the time, all of the beans on the plant will mature simultaneously, so you might want to plant seeds every couple of weeks to get a continuous harvest. Edamame is ready for harvest when the pods just begin to fill out with beans. You can either pick the beans directly off the plant, or cut the plant at the base and pick or shake the pods off. If you plan to save seed for next year’s soybean planting, let the pods completely mature on the plant, until they are dry, and then shell and save the seed in a cool, dry place for next year. Don’t forget to work the spent plants, and even the pods (if you salt the pods, be sure to rinse them before returning to the soil) back into your soil, as they will enrich your soil with nutrients.
Edamame can be eaten fresh (it is considered a delicacy to be eaten fresh in Japan). My favorite way to eat them are to steam the pods in some water for about 5 minutes, salt them, and then pop the beans out of the pods with my mouth. They can also be shelled and used in salads, stir fry, or any recipe calling for beans. To freeze them for use in the winter months, blanch for about 1 minute, plunge into ice water, and then freeze.
Edamame aren’t just delicious, they are also very nutritious. In a ½ cup serving of edamame (or about 1 cup of edamame in the pods) has 120 calories, 9 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein. The fiber content is almost equal to the fiber in FOUR slices of whole wheat bread. It is a great source of protein, particularly for vegetarians. It also contains 10% of the recommended daily value for both iron and Vitamin C. Studies show that a diet that includes soybeans may result in lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
So, put on some gloves, get out in the garden, and grow your own edamame!
