Beans-edamame

You'll be growing a nutritional powerhouse when you plant edamame in your garden. This soybean is a low-fat, high-protein, high-fiber food packed with folate, phosphorus, magnesium, and disease-fighting isoflavones- and, like all plants sold by Bonnie, is non-GMO. Harvest when pods are young and contain at least two beans per pod. The beans are the edible part, but you need to cook the pods before the beans are fit to eat. This soybean loves the sun and warm soil. Set plants out about the same time you plant green beans or zucchini, after all danger of frost is past. Plants aren't very susceptible to pests or diseases, but critters like rabbits, deer, and groundhogs love them. Protect edamame plants if such varmints frequent your garden. Edamame has a narrow harvest window of three to seven days, after which the plant is finished. Use succession planting at 7- to 14-day intervals for a longer harvest window. Set individual plants 12 to 18 inches apart; wider spacing leads to higher yields. On average, expect 2.5 pounds of pods per plant.