Edamame Soybean

As a 1 foot tall bush, edamame can easily be grown in containers or garden beds. The bright green plants, although a food crop, also have undoubted aesthetic value for gardens. They naturally fix nitrogen in soils and can be great companion plants for other vegetables, flowering plants or trees. As a self-pollinated plant, gardens where bees and other pollinators are sparse can still achieve good harvests with this crop easily. Edamame soybean is expensive, has a low shelf life, and is impossible to find in most Indian markets. Growing it yourself is undoubtedly the best option to try out this heavenly variety yourself. Excess can be easily frozen to be enjoyed at a later date!

 Edamame soybean is a relatively new crop in indian markets with very high value and ever increasing demand. Fetching rates as high as 800 Rupees per kg, edamame soybean can be a vital source of supplemental income for small farmers. As all the pods on the plant are ready for harvest at roughly the same time, the harvest of this crop does not need skilled labor, unlike other green bean varieties. The crop can be planted in succession over the growing season to give a steady source of pods to harvest and sell. As a plant which grows with little care, it is a very profitable option of organic gardeners. The crop residue after harvesting can be fed to livestock as a protein-rich feed or else composted as a nitrogen-rich green material. It can also be used as a green manure crop during fallow periods, to replenish soil nutrition between 2 crops.

 Edamame soybean can act as a trap crop for pests like aphids, and provide suitable habitat for their natural predators like ladybugs and beneficial wasps. Although the flowers are self pollinated (do not need pollination) bees and other pollinators can still be found foraging for nectar and pollen on its flowers.

A member of the legume family of plants (fabaceae), edamame soybean works symbiotically with nitrogen fixing bacteria (rhizobium sp.). This reduces its dependence on organic fertilizers, while improving soil fertility for future crops. Soybeans form dense covers over soil while growing which protect the soil from harsh sunlight, and erosion and preserves soil fertility. The crop residues rapidly break down in the soil to become rich organic compost, making nutrients available to the following crops.