Edamame (edible soy bean) seeds

[hendi_alex]

Last year I planted a test plot of some Beer Friend Edamame. The plants were easy to grow and we harvested several snacks over the summer from those few plants. The early spring planting yielded better, but a late planting did fine as well. This year I decided to expand the planting of this healthy snack food. I was just checking my seeds to make sure that everything had been ordered, and notice my single edamame pack ordered from Kitazawa Seed Co. Come to find out the package, almost $4.00 not counting shipping contains 7 grams (18 seeds). Also I noticed that one package had accidentally not been ordered from another seed supplier. So just got on line trying to find a source at reasonable price with reasonable shipping. My order was to EvergreenSeed company. They have several varieties of edamame with a regular packs weighing one ounce for $4.50 which is a little high for me, but at least shipping was only $4.00 on my $18 order.

Next year I'll shop around a bit more, but figured that it might be worth asking here on the forum. Anyone have a better source for edamame seeds? I just checked Seed Savers exchange and see that they normally offer four kinds of edible soy beans, and at a great price, $2.75 for 50 seeds. BTW my order included 'green legend', 'lucky lion', 'Early Hakucho', and 'late giant black seeded'.

[soil]

make sure to grow some extra or save some seeds from this year, for next year. before you know it youll have tons.

[hendi_alex]

Thanks. Yes, I had already come to that conclusion. Bean seeds are pretty easy to save, wish I had done that this past summer. I find myself saving more and more seeds each year.

[wolfie]

I would love to grow edamame, how would you save their seeds tho?

[hendi_alex]

Beans are one of the easiest seeds to save. I generally let mine dry on the plants. Then they are harvested, shelled, placed in ziplock bag, and put in the freezer until the next season.

[wolfie]

so you use the bean from inside the pod as the seed?

[hendi_alex]

A bean IS a seed. Some seeds can be difficult to harvest, or can be difficult to sow and get to germinate. But bean seeds generally are very easy. Moonflower and hyacinth bean are both beans and those are the only beans that I've saved to use as seed, but the process is very simple and should give excellent results as beans tend to give very reliable germination when planted after the soil has warmed.

[Tinybu88les8]

on ebay you can buy a pack of soy bean seeds for $1.19 with free shipping.

[hendi_alex]

I looked on Ebay but only saw offers that had relatively high shipping rates. Link please.

[applestar]

I've grown organic soybeans purchased from the bulk section at Whole Foods and had them as Edamame. They tasted good, but last year, I got the seeds for cultivated Edamame soybeans, and there is a big difference in the size of the beans and the flavor. Much meatier, so to speak. The ones I grew were also from Kitazawa Seeds -- Lucky Lion and the late maturing Tamba Kuro Otsubu (Giant Black Seeded) that Alex mentioned.

I found it really cool that when picked fully ripe but not dried, the TKO shelled out nearly 1" oblong GREEN beans, but they dried into 1/2" ROUND BLACK beans. I waited as long as I could (severe freeze 24ºF forecast during the night) then I picked the pods and put them in a brown paper grocery bag to hang near the kitchen ceiling to dry indoors.

Tamba variety is a gourmet soybean in Japan and aside from it's excellence as Edamame, the dried beans are used for making traditional New Years black bean condiment (Kuromame - cooked with Konbu and soysauce) as well as candied beans (Amanatto).

Lucky Lion tasted excellent as well -- just not as interesting in appearance, so it only gets a one sentence description.

Oh! Not Edamame, but I tried growing organic aduki beans as well. The one I had (from a Korean market) grew into bush beans with yellow pods. Longer maturing date than regular bush beans. I'm going to try growing a lot more this year.

[RyanDe680]

I bought my edamame seeds this year from Jungs. They had them in stock.

[Tinybu88les8]

I cant find it now. Shoot, I'm sorry. ill keep my eyes open for you though and when I see a good soybean sale ill send you the link.

[Tinybu88les8]

Okay Alex I found some soybean seeds on my eBay app.... So I don't have the link but I CAN tell you the seller. Allthings-Auction
they are 1.19 with free shipping. Let me know if u are able to find them.

[applestar]

OT but $1.19 with free shipping for soybean seeds? How does anybody make any money doing that?

[garden5]

OT but $1.19 with free shipping for soybean seeds? How does anybody make any money doing that?

1. It may be a small quantity.

2. They are using the deal as a "loss leader," so to speak, so that they can get you on their "gardening list" (or at least ask you to sign up) so they can market more seeds, etc. to you.

3. They may not be soybean seeds at all (or they might be old and not viable)!!!:shock:

4. They might just be a good-hearted gardener who has a surplus of seeds and want to shear their bounty .

You never know with Ebay. Make sure you check the seller's reputation and do no business with anyone with sup-par reviews. I myself am kind of leery about buying seeds on ebay, considering the fact that by the time I grow the plant and see what kind of fruit it bears, I may not be able to return the seeds if it is the wrong variety. Obviously, this scenario varys with the different plants.

Also, you have to make sure that the person who harvested the seeds knew what they were doing and stored them properly.

So as not to be one-sided, I will admit that you get a ton of seeds from one pepper or one tomato and it would not be hard to sell five times the seed to a pack for half the price on Ebay and still make a profit if you are just an average Joe with no business and no overhead. You just won't be able to do it to thousands of people.

Now, back on-topic .

[Tinybu88les8]

They are onsale. I don't think that's the normal price.

[Bovina_Beas]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone ever requested and received free seeds from the National Soybean Research Laboratory in Illinois?

2. Is Beer Friend the best variety for size, flavor, and production? Where does Envy rank?

3. If I was able to get some soybean seeds from a farmer, would they be suitable for edamame or are they a different variety?

[hendi_alex]

As I understand it, most commercial soy beans are GMO varieties. I have not checked into it, but would doubt that the home garden varieties are GMO, especially any that would be offered by Seed Savers Exchange.

"Also referred to as vegetable soybeans, edamame is
the same species as the traditional grain soybean
(Glycine max) commonly grown in Kentucky.
However, compared to grain soybean, edamame
seeds are larger with a sweet, nutty flavor, and
better digestibility. "

Above excerpt from University of Kentucky publication:
https://www.uky.edu/Ag/CCD/introsheets/e ... auto,0,797

[hendi_alex]

I have grown beer friend and several other varieties. The beans can be quite different in size and color, ranging from green to black. But I found all to be enjoyable. Beer friend is medium sized.

[Bovina_Beas]

As I understand it, most commercial soy beans are GMO varieties. I have not checked into it, but would doubt that the home garden varieties are GMO, especially any that would be offered by Seed Savers Exchange.

"Also referred to as vegetable soybeans, edamame is
the same species as the traditional grain soybean
(Glycine max) commonly grown in Kentucky.
However, compared to grain soybean, edamame
seeds are larger with a sweet, nutty flavor, and
better digestibility. "

Above excerpt from University of Kentucky publication:
https://www.uky.edu/Ag/CCD/introsheets/e ... auto,0,797

Thanks, that's what I thinking but wanted some confirmation. I've been looking all around for some decent prices, but these things are expensive! I just got an email response back from one of the researchers at the NSRL and I'm on the list to receive seed packets from them. I'm not sure what varieties they are sending, but I'm excited to find out.

[Bovina_Beas]

I have grown beer friend and several other varieties. The beans can be quite different in size and color, ranging from green to black. But I found all to be enjoyable. Beer friend is medium sized.

Did you plant yours in rows? How do you think they would do in containers?

[digitS']

I missed this thread? I must not have been in my pre-member, lurking mode that month of 2010!

No soybean fields around here at all, that I am aware of. I think the cool nights are not to their liking. When I wanted to grow some, a gardener from Wisconsin sent me quite a selection.

Some didn't do very well. After 3 or 4 years I narrowed it down to one variety. It was just sent to me as "Bei" but I'm pretty sure it is "Bei Liang" that Victory Seed sells.

I'm happy to use it for edamame and will finally do "the sensible thing" and not just try to keep up with the plants by eating the edamame fresh! It should freeze just fine . . .

Here is a LINK to Victory Seed Company. Several of their varieties are from the USDA. Yes, these sorts of things can be expensive but bean seed is easy to save.

Steve
who is not a very good container gardener

[hendi_alex]

I planted mine in small blocks in raised beds. About 48 square feet gave us plenty to eat fresh plus the wife froze several packs as well. As was posted earlier, they do freeze very well, with no distinguishable difference for at least a year.

[imafan26]

Seeds from the UH extention are cheap and sold by wt and not by the count. They sell them by the lb for commercial growers, but bean seeds will keep for years especially in the freezer. The home grower packs sell for a dollar.

It is better to email Desmond Ogata rather than call. He is the only one in the seed lab and he is in and out.
Kahala soybeans are a local variety with nematode resistance. Here everything needs to be nematode resistant. It is a good bean, I have grown it. You can ask for the seed count and the postage. It might be better to buy the lb. I know they send seeds out of State and some even to France. They have to go through the state quarantine inspection if they are going international, I know they can be shipped to US, but I don't remember if they have to go through quarantine for that.


https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/Downlo ... 20Form.pdf