Indoor sowing: beginning of May - half May

Outdoor sowing: half May - June

Germination: 7 - 14 days

Germination temp. : 18 - 25°C

Sowing depth: 2 -3 cm

Transplant outdoors: 4 weeks after sowing

Plant distance: 15 - 25 cm

Plant distance between rows: 35 - 40 cm

Plant position: sunny

Harvest period: September - November

Soybeans need a lot of light and warmth to grow. Sow indoors for an early harvest from May on. Sow in trays, with holes in the bottom for good drainage, filled with potting soil and sand. Keep about 5 cm between the seeds. Give the seeds a germination temp. of about 18 °C. Warmer is better for germination. Cover the seeds with a thick layer of soil, because soybeans are darkgerminators. Keep moist, but not to wet to prevent the seeds from molding. Harden the seedlings of, during the day, after about 4 weeks. The outdoor temp. has to be about 15°.

Sow soybeans outdoors when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts and the soil has warmed to about 18 °C. Gove them enough sun on a sunny plot with some shelter, free draining soil and non acid soil. Sow the seeds about 2 - 3 cm deep and keep them 15 cm apart. Cover with a thick layer of soil. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to about 25 cm apart. Protect the seedlings against bird, mice and other pests. Support the plants before the pods start to grow. don't water them to much, but keep the soil moist. Water proffusely during drought. Keep weedfree.

Harvest the beans when the pods are about 5 cm in size and still yound and tender. This is the well known Adame. The pods can also be harvested when they're larger and yellow, brown and dried out. This beans can be harvested as dried beans and be kept for about a year.

Cooking soybeans

Young and tender beans can be cooked and eaten like Adame. Harvest the pods when they're still green and about 5 cm in size and the beans are clearly visible. Cook the pods while in about 15 minutes in water with some salt. Let the pods cool down and pick the young beans from the pods and eat them. The hairy, fleshy pods aren't eaten but trown out.

Soybeans can also be used, eaten and cooked as keeping bean and stored in a dry, dark and frostfree spot. They can be kept for about six moths to a year this way. Let the pods get brown and dry on the plants. Harvest the plants and let them dry on a warm, dry spot with air circulation to dry them completely out. Remove the dried beans from the pods and let them completely dry out. Store them in glass jars like other keeping beands.