Soybeans are tender annuals in the Leguminosase family, which also includes snap and string beans, garbanzos, peas, lentils, and peanuts.

Soybeans (Glycine max) usually grow to between 1 and 3 feet tall and have dense hair on their leaves and stems. The fruit is a broad, hairy, flattened pod around 3″ long and are yellow or brown in color when fully mature and dried. Edamame soybeans are usually eaten as a fresh bean and are green-to-yellow in color when harvested.

Soil and Nutrient Requirements

Soybeans only require average fertility and prefer pH in the 6.0 – 6.8 range. Choose well drained, warm soils and use inoculants to increase yields where natural Rhizobia populations are low.

Seeding Depth

1-2″

Plant Spacing

Direct seed 6 seeds/ft, thin plants to 4-6″ apart.

Row Spacing

Rows 12-30″ apart.

When to Sow

Direct seed soybeans in well-drained soil that is 60-85°F. Do not plant in colder soil. Succession plant every 1-2 weeks for a continuous harvest.

Harvest

Harvest when beans are plump in pods and leaves begin to change from bright green to a slight yellow-green. Handpick only bright green pods with at least two beans per pod or harvest whole plants and bunch for market.

Storage

Pods can be refrigerated for up to a week or blanched and frozen for storage.

Pest Info

• Aphids can be washed off plants with a hard stream of water. They have several natural predators that control populations including parasites (aphids appear grey or bloated), lady beetle larvae and lacewings.
• Leafhoppers are small wedge shaped insects that suck the juice from leaves rather than eating holes through them. If leaves are yellowing and curling under, examine the underside for leafhoppers. They overwinter in the Louisiana area and arrive with storm fronts in other parts of the country.

Disease Info

• Root rot, caused by several different soil-borne fungi, can be prevented by rotating with a cereal or pasture crop and by planting into soil temperatures above 60°F. Root rot is less of a problem where soil is warm and well-drained.
• White mold, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, causes a pod and stem blight and is generally a disease of cool, damp conditions. Do not handle plants during wet conditions. Wider spacing can allow more aeration between plants and help control the spread of disease. White mold survives in soil and plant debris; therefore infected plants should be removed from the field. Dry beans and soybeans are not as susceptible to white mold as snap beans. Crop rotation is essential.