Often farmed on a large agricultural scale, soybeans are one of the most common crops grown in the United States. Yet most home gardeners never think to cultivate them. Soybeans, however, are very easy plants to grow for their seeds, either fresh or dried. Use this beginner-friendly guide to grow soybeans in your own garden.
JAY WILDE
Soybean Overview
Where to Plant Soybeans
Soybean plants have similar growing needs to other bean varieties such as lima beans. They can be grown in inground gardens or containers. Just be sure to locate your plants in an area that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun daily.
How and When to Plant Soybeans
Like other types of bean plants, soybeans are frost tender, so they shouldn’t be planted outdoors until after your last frost date in spring. If needed, spreading black plastic sheeting across your beds a week before you intend to plant your seeds can prewarm the soil and allow you to plant a bit sooner. You can extend your season even further by planting your soybeans under floating row covers.Treating your seeds with a soybean inoculant prior to planting can also improve the health of your plants and boost harvest yields too. When you’re ready to plant your soybean seeds, sow seeds about a half-inch deep and space seeds 2 to 3 inches apart in rows located about 24 inches from each other. Once your seeds germinate, thin out your seedlings so that they are 4 to 6 inches apart.For a more prolific harvest of fresh soybeans, consider planting a second crop of soybeans 3 to 4 weeks after your initial planting.
Soybean Care Tips
Soybeans are compact plants and don’t need staking or trellising like some other beans. Following the tips below will help make your first soybean harvest a successful one.
Light
Soybeans require full sun and should receive at least 6 hours of bright light daily.
Soil and Water
Soybeans can grow in a range of soils. Ideally, your soil should be well-draining and have a neutral or slightly acidic pH of between 6.0 and 6.5.
Although soybeans are relatively drought tolerant plants, low moisture levels can reduce harvest size. Providing your beans with regular watering will make them healthier and more productive. In general, about 1 inch of water per week will do and adding an organic mulch around the base of your plants will help conserve soil moisture levels even better.
Temperature
Soybeans are not cold hardy and they should only be planted after all danger of frost has passed. Don’t rush your plantings either, as soil temperatures should be at least 65°F. Sowing seeds when the soil is too cold can slow down germination times and cause soybeans to rot before they sprout.
Fertilizer
Enriching your soil with compost before you plant can give your soybeans a head start on the growing season. Roughly 6 to 8 weeks after planting, fertilize your soybeans with a quality, low nitrogen fertilizer, such as kelp meal.
Harvesting
Fresh soybeans are ready to harvest about 75 to 110 days after planting. For optimal flavor, pick your beans when the pods are bright green and plump and are about 2 to 3 inches in length. Pods that have begun to yellow are too old and won’t have a good texture or flavor.Soybeans can also be harvested for their dried beans by allowing the pods to dry on the plant. Once the pods are fully dried and you can hear the seeds rattling in their pods, harvest the entire plant and hang it up to dry in a cool, dry space.
Pests and Problems
Pests will crop up in any garden, but you can reduce the damage they cause by acting quickly. Below are some of the most common soybean pests and how you can protect your plants from them.
Stink bugs
Stink bugs are large, shield-shaped insects that can feed on soybeans in large numbers, causing deformed leaves and weakened plants. Performing a good garden cleanup in autumn can keep these pests from overwintering. Using floating row covers or handpicking stinkbugs are two other effective ways to keep these pests away.
Mexican bean beetles
Mexican bean beetles look a bit like ladybugs, although they are yellow and have a more domed carapace (shell). Bean beetles can skeletonize plant leaves; however, they can be easily controlled with handpicking and floating row covers.
Powdery mildew
If your soybeans develop a white, powdery coating on their leaves, powdery mildew has likely invaded your garden. To keep this from happening, always water plants at the soil line and avoid getting their leaves wet.
Types of Soybeans
‘Tankuro’
Many soybean varieties have white beans, but not ‘Tankuro.’ ‘Tankuro’ soybeans are a beautiful dark color and have a rich and nuanced flavor.
‘Envy’
Perfect for gardens in cooler regions, ‘Envy’ is a short-season soybean variety and produces harvestable pods about 80 days after planting.
‘Chiba’
Flavorful ‘Chiba’ soybeans have a delicious, nutty taste. A prolific grower, ‘Chiba’ produces heavy yields of pods, each holding 2 to 3 beans.
Soybean Companion Plants
Choosing the right companion plants for your soybeans can keep pests away and encourage your beans to grow even better.
Corn
Like other beans, soybeans fix nitrogen into the soil and boost the health of nearby plants. Corn requires a lot of nitrogen to grow properly, so it’s no wonder why corn grows so well next to soybeans.
Cucumbers
Because cucumbers have similar growing requirements to soybeans, it makes sense to keep these plants together. If you’re growing your soybeans in a small container garden, choose bush-type cucumbers, which will stay much smaller.
Squash
Another heavy feeding plant, squash like zucchini will benefit from the nitrogen soybeans contribute to the soil. Soybean flowers can also attract more pollinators to your squash plants and help you get a larger harvest of squash.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can you eat soybeans right off the plant?If you want to snack on edamame straight from your garden, pick fresh soybeans and then steam them for 10 minutes. Enjoy with a bit of salt.
If you want to snack on edamame straight from your garden, pick fresh soybeans and then steam them for 10 minutes. Enjoy with a bit of salt.
- Why do farmers switch from soybeans to corn in different years?Soybeans add nitrogen to the soil and corn happens to be a heavy feeding plant. Alternating these two crops in your garden can replenish your soil after you grow corn and prevent pests from overwintering too.
Soybeans add nitrogen to the soil and corn happens to be a heavy feeding plant. Alternating these two crops in your garden can replenish your soil after you grow corn and prevent pests from overwintering too.