Edamame Soybean Seeds | Mao Dou | Edible Garden Soybeans

Grow Your Own Edamame for Freshly Cooked Snacks

Bring a favorite garden-to-table snack home with edible soybean seeds, known as edamame in Japan and Mao Dou in China. These bushy plants produce pods of beans that can be harvested green, cooked, and shelled for snacks, salads, and rice dishes. Pick a batch from your garden and enjoy the simple pleasure of freshly prepared edamame.

Plant details

• Crop: Edible soybean
• Common names: Edamame, Mao Dou
• Growth habit: Bushy plants that generally do not require a trellis
• Season: Warm-weather crop
• Harvest: Plump green beans for cooked edamame, or mature beans for drying
• Product supplied: Seeds for planting, not ready-to-eat food

Planting your seeds

Direct sow outdoors after frost risk has passed and the soil is warm. Choose a sunny location with well-draining soil. Sow approximately 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart, with rows approximately 24–30 inches apart.

Growing and care

Keep soil evenly moist during germination and establishment without waterlogging. Water consistently during pod development, adjusting for rainfall and heat. Keep weeds under control while plants are young. Bushy soybeans can also be grown in roomy containers with drainage holes and suitable spacing.

Harvesting edamame

For edamame, pick pods while they are still green and the beans inside are plump. Check plants frequently as pods approach maturity; many may be ready around the same time. For dry beans, allow pods to mature and dry, then shell and finish drying the beans thoroughly before storage.

Prepare before eating

Cook harvested soybeans thoroughly before eating. For edamame, boil or steam the green pods until the beans are cooked, then remove the beans from their shells. The pods are not eaten. Do not eat raw soybeans or use planting seeds as ready-to-eat food. Soy is a food allergen.

Available quantities

Choose from 30 seeds, 100 seeds, 1 ounce, 1/4 pound, 1 pound, or 5 pounds. Weight-based options are sold by weight rather than a guaranteed seed count.