When to Plant Edamame in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Edamame guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Mar to Aug
- 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 Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar D
- Apr D
- May D
- Jun D
- Jul D
- Aug D
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical 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 Tropical 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.
Tropical Growing Tips for Edamame
Recommended Varieties
- Green Soy Bean
- Edamame
Key Challenges
- Wet season rot
- Green vegetable bug
- Caterpillars
Pro Tips
- Sow into free draining soil
- Check pods weekly
- Pick while plump
Pests and problems for Edamame in Tropical
- Green Vegetable Bug Green vegetable bug Watch
- Powdery Mildew Give plants space and avoid overhead watering. Watch
- Common Garden Snail Watch
- Slugs Watch
- Seedling Root Rots (Pythium and Phytophthora) Sow into warm, free draining soil and rotate crops (GRDC). Watch
- Wet season rot Wet season rot Watch
- Caterpillars Caterpillars Watch
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
Can you grow edamame all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Mar to Aug. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Edamame in Cairns?
Diggers lists March to August for the tropics, the drier months. Sow straight into the garden. Keep the water even once pods start to fill.
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 are the best Edamame varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Green Soy Bean, Edamame.
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 Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.