Do you like fresh edamame, but not the price? Soybeans are very easy to grow at home, and seed can be purchased inexpensively in gourmet grocery stores, as the beans are often sprouted and eaten. Because it fixes nitrogen, the soybean requires very little fertilizer, and it also tolerates intermittent watering well. They do not require staking or trellising, and they grow to about 3' high on sturdy stems. Collect pods when they are plump but still green for edamame, or allow them to brown and dry on the plant for other uses (dry beans, animal feed, seed saving, etc.). Flowers are less showy than most beans, being only about 1/4" across and held close to the plant's stem.

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