How to Grow and Care for Soybeans

Soybean (Glycine max) was domesticated by the Chinese 6,000 to 9,000 years ago. In the eighteenth century, Europeans used soybean for ornamental purposes. It’s a versatile plant grown both for consumption and as an ingredient in manufactured products. It was even used by Henry Ford to make plastic parts for his Model T.

The leaves are in threes, 7 cm long by 2 cm wide. Bluish to purple flowers form on racemes in the warmer months. The bean pod is up to 3 cm long.

Not just an ordinary legume, woolly glycine is a remarkable dynamo that enriches the soil with nitrogen through its root nodules. Often grown as ground cover and valued for soil improvement, woolly glycine also serves as an important source of food and material in the silk industry, where its leaves are used to feed silkworms. This fascinating plant largely pops up in tropical areas, often in harmony with forest ecosystems.

The wild soya is a legume that grows in sunny fields and along roadsides, and grows by entangling itself with other plants. It is believed to have been cultivated to Japan since the Jomon period (710-794), and it is thought that the soybean was created through long-standing breeding efforts. After the pale purple flowers, it bears fruits that closely resemble soybeans.

Twining glycine is a climbing or prostrate perennial legume that thrives in woodlands and forests. It features slender stems and small, trifoliate leaves. The plant is easily recognized by its delicate, violet to blue pea-shaped flowers that emerge in spring. Adapted to shady understory habitats, twining glycine forms symbiotic relationships with soil bacteria, aiding its nutrient intake and growth in rich, organic soils.