Edamame

Glycine max · Pea family (Fabaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	annual
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Spacing	2 to 4 inches
Days to harvest	70 to 90 days

About Edamame

Edamame are vegetable soybeans picked while the pods are still green and the beans are sweet. They are easy to grow in warm weather, and the whole planting tends to ripen at once.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone; it is killed by frost, so plant it after the danger of frost has passed.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Sow seeds outdoors: up to 2 weeks after the last frost

Days count from seeding. Sow after the danger of frost has passed; soil at 75 to 85F gives the best sprouting. Coating seed with a soybean inoculant helps the plants fix nitrogen. Space rows 12 to 18 inches apart.

Soil

Most well-drained garden soils; too much nitrogen makes floppy plants. Keep soil moist until seedlings come up.

Test soil (ideally the fall before), keep pH about 6.0 to 6.5 (add any lime in fall), and give phosphorus and potassium only as the test calls for.

Feeding

Skip the inoculant and the plants will need added nitrogen; inoculating is the cheaper way to meet their needs.

Harvest

Pick when pods are full-sized, plump and bright green, with the beans nearly touching, before pods or leaves start to yellow. The best window lasts only a few days.

Most pods ripen at the same time and stay at their best for only a few days, so pick them all (or pull whole plants) while pods are plump and bright green, before leaves yellow.

Varieties (17)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
UA Kirksey	Determinate		Bred by the University of Arkansas (U.S. patent 8,766,051, 2014) and grown commercially in Arkansas.
Beer Friend	Early	102 days	An early edamame with medium pods.
Envy	Early	75 to 102 days	The shortest plants in WSU's 2002 trial, with small pods.
Haruno-mai	Early	102 days	An early edamame with large pods.
Sapporo Midori	Early	103 to 107 days	Among the best-tasting in WSU's 2002 trial. An early edamame with large pods.
Butterbeans	Green-seeded	90 to 108 days	Kentucky lists it for fresh use. In WSU's 2002 trial it had the most unmarketable pods.
Asmara			Tasters described it as sweet and nutty. A released edamame used as a check in a 2020 taste study.
Kitanosuzu		107 to 110 days	Medium pods and good emergence in WSU's trial.
Lucky Lion		112 to 114 days	On Utah State's list of edamame varieties.
Mana		116 to 117 days	Large pods; the heaviest pods in WSU's 2002 trial.
Midori Giant			UT Gardens says it has performed well in Tennessee.
Misono Green		105 to 110 days	Large pods.
Sayakomachi		112 days	Highest taste score in WSU's 2002 trial. Large pods and the highest yield among varieties tested over several years at WSU.
Sayamusume		103 to 110 days	Medium pods and good emergence in WSU's trial.
Shironomai		107 to 113 days	Tested at three WSU sites.
White Lion		109 to 110 days	Tested at two WSU sites.
Yukimusume		110 days	Large beans.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Stink bugs, Bean leaf beetle, Seedcorn maggot, Blister beetles, Groundhog (woodchuck)

Diseases and problems

Iron chlorosis, Powdery mildew, Rust, Tomato and tobacco ringspot

In the kitchen

Boil or steam the pods about 5 minutes, salt them, and squeeze the beans out to eat; shelled beans go into salads and dips.

Keeping it: Refrigerate pods right after picking; kept cold and humid they stay fresh up to two weeks, but they're sweetest soon after harvest.

Safety: Edamame are cooked, not eaten raw (SDSU). Some people are allergic to soy, and soy in amounts above normal food levels may be unsafe during pregnancy (NCCIH).

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA

Sources

Photo: Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.