THE CHINESE BEANS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 58

If plants get very tall you may need to stake them, because they bear profusely and
the weight of the pods may pull them over. You don't need to stake when planting out
(as with tomatoes); since you won't need heavy stakes, putting them in later won't cause
much disturbance to the roots.
How to Harvest
Harvest twice: once for green shelling, once for dried beans.
For edamame. For the green-shelling stage, pick when the beans are fully grown within
the pods but before they turn yellow. Generally this is about 30 days before the maturity
date, but weather conditions can speed or delay this stage, so keep an eye on your crop.
For dried beans. The dried stage is easy to recognize: The plants and pods turn com-
pletely brown. They look dead and ready for the compost heap. Pull up the plants by
their roots and let them finish drying under cover.
Varieties
You'll find that some varieties are particularly recommended for green-shelling (edam-
ame), others for drying, and some for sprouting. Grow some of each and see if you agree
with the recommendations. Any kind can serve all uses regardless of what it is specially
recommended for.
Varieties to look for: Taiwame, Green Legend, Late Giant Black Seeded.
DID YOU KNOW?
Soybean roots harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria, so the dry bushes are a valuable source of this essential
plant nutrient and provide it in a highly usable form. While you can compost plants after removing the
beans, you'll retain more of the nitrogen if you dig or till the spent soybean plants directly into your
garden soil. Stash the foliage in a corner of your garden if you can't dig it under right away. If you ever
take a year off from your garden or want the soil to lie fallow, plant soybeans and simply rototill them
under at the end of the season.