When I was looking for information on varieties I found this! It says that U of Illinois offers to provide a limited number of seed packs of their gardensoy research variety to gardeners who wish to try it out. I think I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about it.

I can't recommend any specific variety since the previous times that I planted it were seeds given to me by a local farmer. So they were whatever commonly gets planted in the fields around here.

There is this link that I came across that suggests varieties for different areas. According to it, Midori Giant, Mojo Green, Sunrise, and NutraVeg are recommended for Massachusetts.

Mapping of edamame varieties to grow

You will find a lot more if you search the Bean Forum, where edamame soybeans are often discussed. There is a thread there specifically for the Gardensoy soybeans. I've grown Gardensoys 12 & 24, and really liked -24.

The map in Ralleia's link pertains only to varieties sold by Wannamaker Seeds. Here is a link to the USDA's Soybean Maturity Group map, which gives much better detail of soybean maturities for the eastern & central U.S..

Most of the edamame soybeans sold through garden catalogs are Mat Group I & below, so they can be grown successfully in all but the coolest climates. They are, in fact, best suited to the moderate climates of the northern half of the U.S.. The good thing about the Gardensoy releases (and some of the Wannamaker varieties) is that there are some which are better suited to the warmer Southern climates. Some varieties sold through Asian seed companies can have late maturity also.

I can recommend several edamame varieties which are sold commercially. In the Northeast, Johnny's carries "Butterbean", which is very good. Territorial carries "Sayamusume". SSE sells "Shirofumi". Peace Seeds sells "Oosodefuri". All have large seeds, good flavor, and high yields. "Agate" is an early variety, with smaller seeds (also sold by SSE).

Any soybean can be eaten green as edamame, but some are poorly suited due to small size, flavor (poor or lack of), or other issues (such as sticking membranes). There are small-seeded varieties that are early enough to succeed well into Canada.

Most edamame soybeans (when dry) are somewhere in the vicinity of 40% protein content, and 15-20% oil. There are early, small-seeded cultivars that have dry protein content as high as 50% or better. I've got one soybean that, while not the tastiest as edamame, has protein as high as 57.9%!

Soybeans need warm soil to germinate, so plant them at the same time you would plant beans. Give them full sun if at all possible. They generally get to about 24" tall, but can be taller if crowded, or if it is a wet year. Use about 2-3" inches minimum between seeds, with a minimum of 24" between rows. More spacing is better if you have the space; thinning to 4-6" between plants will give you more heavily branched plants with better pod set. I had one plant at that spacing with over 200 pods.

Edamame soybeans need little care, other than to be kept watered. As I found out during a summer with record rainfall, they really thrive if the soil is kept moist. The same high soil moisture that makes soybeans thrive would be too wet for beans, so if irrigating, it is best not to plant them side-by-side. Aphids can be a problem some years, use insecticidal soap if the infestation reaches the point where it is stunting new growth, or if you see wilting or yellowing. If the aphids are ant borne, you may need to control the ants before you can control the aphids.

You can harvest any time after the pods have swelled, but for best flavor, watch for the first yellow leaves to appear in the row, or the first pods changing color. The beans will be green & sweet up until this time. If you wait longer - when many leaves & pods are changing color - the soybeans will be more like limas in flavor & texture.

All of the soybeans on the plant tend to ripen at close to the same time, so just cut the whole plant to harvest. They have a short harvest window, so you need to pick the whole row quickly. Steam or boil the pods for between 5-10 minutes, at which time they will pop out of the pods with a light squeeze. If processing a large amount for freezing, dunk the pods in cool water after cooking.

Edamame soybeans freeze really well when cooked. I recommend vacuum bags for long-term storage, to prevent freezer burn.

One more very important thing you need to know about soybeans. If you have never had problems in your garden with deer, rabbits, or groundhogs, you WILL when you grow soybeans. The plants are like candy to any herbivore; they will walk past everything else in your garden, then eat your soybeans into the ground. If you don't have a fence around your garden, at least put a fence around your soybeans, or you may be in for disappointment.

This is as close as I can get to a soybean primer... hope you find it helpful.

So if one were doing 30 inch rows, would 5 rows at 6" spacing all around and drip irrigation be the best for pod set? Or would sneaking in another row at 5" spacing be ok?

Let's hope that she is still conducting research! I sent her an email this morning, too.

I can second the candy-to-herbivores. My rabbits do very little damage in the garden, but they LOVED the soybeans. If I grow soybeans again, they will get a chicken wire barrier.

Bellatrix

The NSRL has undergone some changes since the Gardensoy varieties were first offered. Dr. Bernard is no longer the listed contact for obtaining soybeans. I hope they are still offering seed, it was a great program. The site is still one of the more definitive sources of info on soybeans.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the program is apparently still running.

Cheers! Back to homework...