Soybeans

Soybeans ©Janet Allen Soybeans

We've frequently grown soybeans, which are surprisingly easy to grow. When served green, they're called edamame, and they're really good this way.

Soybeans are a favorite food of Japanese beetles, but it's a problem only in really bad Japanese beetle years.

Soybeans are also a favorite food of deer and groundhogs. We no longer have deer in the vegetable garden because we added three feet of deer fencing to the top of the five foot fence in the places where deer used to jump the fence.

Groundhogs are not so easy to keep out and in 2011 it (or they) ate the entire crop. We re-installed a three foot fence in part of the vegetable garden and will see if that deters groundhogs.

Soybeans are a little time consuming to prepare. We have removed them from their pods right after picking but the Mother Earth News resource in the sidebar suggests blanching the pods first. We'll see (if we keep the groundhogs out) assuming that speeds preparation up. In any event soybeans are worth the effort required.

Harvest record

YR LB Notes
13 0 We used old seed, and they didn't germinate.
12 1
11 0
10 5