When to Plant Edamame in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cold / Highland
In October the Cold / Highland zone normally runs 20°C by day and 7°C overnight, with about 58 mm of rain over 7 or 8 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -6.4°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 15 postcodes, SILO.
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This Edamame guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Days to harvest
- about 12 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
Edamame is the green soybean, picked while the pods are plump and eaten after boiling or steaming. The plants are compact bushes about 75 to 80 cm tall.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
Edamame is not recommended for Cold / Highland.
Neither Diggers nor Mr Fothergill's gives months for a cold or highland climate. The crop is frost tender and needs soil of 15 to 20°C and about 12 weeks without frost, so we rate this zone as not viable. This is our judgement.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Cold / Highland zone right now, Edamame included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Edamame in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well drained soil in full sun, prepared with compost (Mr Fothergill's, Diggers).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun (Diggers, Mr Fothergill's).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil moist during establishment and once pods start to fill (Mr Fothergill's).
- Good companions
- Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Celery, Strawberry, Summer squash
- Grow before it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
- Grow after it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
Give the bed 3 turns before legumes go back in. Beans and peas fix nitrogen, so they leave the bed richer than they found it.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Edamame
Key Challenges
- Frost
- A season too short for 12 weeks
Pro Tips
- Try a quicker crop such as dwarf beans
Pests and problems for Edamame in Cold / Highland
Harvesting Edamame
When ready: Pick the pods while still green and plump, when the beans are nearly full size (Diggers, Mr Fothergill's).
How to harvest: Pick pods by hand. Boil or steam them and eat the beans inside. For dried beans, leave pods on the plant to mature (Diggers).
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Edamame
When do you plant edamame in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Apr, Aug to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan, Oct to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to May, Sep to Nov
- Mediterranean (Perth): Sep to Dec
When should I plant Edamame in Canberra?
Neither Diggers nor Mr Fothergill's gives months for a cold or highland climate. The crop is frost tender and needs soil of 15 to 20°C and about 12 weeks without frost, so we rate this zone as not viable. This is our judgement.
How do I know when Edamame are ready to harvest?
Pick the pods while still green and plump, when the beans are nearly full size (Diggers, Mr Fothergill's).
What grows well with Edamame?
Good companion plants for Edamame include: Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Celery, Strawberry, Summer squash.
Are edamame salt tolerant?
Only a little. Edamame are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.