When to Pick Soybeans?

Picking Edamame

• Most edamame varieties are advertised as taking 70 to 80 days from the time of planting until harvest. Harvest edamame when the fuzzy pods are still green and the beans are plump and nearly touching inside the pod, which will be mid- to late summer in most areas. Picking ripe pods individually maximizes the length of harvest, since not all pods on a single plant come on at the same time.

Picking Dried Soybeans

• Field soybeans come in many varieties with widely varying times until maturity. Quick-maturing varieties are suited to northern climates with short growing seasons, while slow-growing varieties are more suited to southerly locations. Regardless of the variety, dried soybeans are ready for harvest about a month after the plants' leaves begin to turn yellow. The beans remain firmly on the plants and can be picked even after the leaves have all fallen off.

Effects of Temperature on Harvest

• Soybeans are a heat-loving plant. Low spring and summer temperatures can retard soybean growth and extend the time until maturity and harvest significantly. As an example, soybeans advertised as taking 72 days until harvest actually took 123 days until harvest when planted in southwest Washington state, where conditions are cool, damp and cloudy. Wet or cold conditions in the spring also can delay planting time for soybeans, which, in turn, delays the harvest time.

Storage

• Like most field crops, dried soybeans can be stored for long periods of time as long as they are kept in dry conditions at moderate temperatures. Edamame, on the other hand, is a relatively perishable crop. Even under ideal conditions, they lose flavor and condition within a week. For best results, harvest edamame in the cool, damp mornings and chill it quickly. For long term storage, cook edamame in boiling, salted water and freeze the pods promptly.