Tohya
Glycine max
Wikimedia Commons
Plump pale green pods avg. 3 seeds per pod. Excellent eating quality. Compact plants avg. 2' and have a concentrated set, which allows for hand or machine harvest. For retail sales, harvest whole plants and strip the leaves, leaving the pods on the stalks. Determinate. White pubescence. Bush bean.
Harvest
78d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun
Zones
11–11
USDA hardiness
Height
12-24 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Tohya in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 bean →Zone Map
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Tohya · Zones 11–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | — | — | June – July | September – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | June – July | September – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | May – June | September – October |
| Zone 6 | — | — | May – June | August – October |
| Zone 7 | — | — | April – June | August – September |
| Zone 8 | — | — | April – May | July – September |
| Zone 9 | — | — | March – April | June – August |
| Zone 10 | — | — | February – April | June – July |
| Zone 1 | — | — | July – August | October – August |
| Zone 2 | — | — | June – August | October – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – March | May – June |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – March | May – June |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – March | May – June |
Succession Planting
Direct sow Tohya every 3 weeks from late April through early June in zone 7, stopping by June 15 so pods have time to fill before sustained heat becomes a problem — soybeans set pods poorly when overnight temperatures stay above 75°F for long stretches. A late-April sowing comes in around late July at 78 days; a mid-June sowing wraps up by early September, which lines up with the UGA planting calendar's guidance on successive bean plantings through May.
Two or three sowings is the practical limit. Tohya is an edamame-type soybean with a narrow harvest window — you want to catch it when the pods are plump and the beans are still green, not dried down. Staggering 2-3 plantings gives you a 3-4 week spread without everything maturing in the same week.
Complete Growing Guide
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 0 ft. 9 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: Less than 12 inches. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: Medium. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Color: Brown/Copper, Gold/Yellow, Green. Type: Legume. Length: 1-3 inches. Width: < 1 inch.
Harvest time: Fall
Storage & Preservation
Tohya pods are best stored at 32–40°F with 90–95% humidity in perforated plastic bags within a refrigerator crisper drawer, where they'll keep fresh for 5–7 days. For longer storage, blanch whole pods for 3 minutes, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 10 months. Shelled beans freeze particularly well and maintain quality longer than pods. Drying is also effective: shell mature beans, spread on screens in a warm, airy location until brittle, then store in sealed containers in a cool, dry place for several months. For fermented edamame, blanch briefly, salt generously, and pack into jars with aromatics like ginger and chili for a tangy condiment. Keep harvested pods cool immediately after picking, as quality degrades quickly at room temperature.
History & Origin
Origin: China and Russia
Advantages
- +Plump pale green pods with excellent eating quality appeal to retail customers
- +Concentrated pod set enables efficient hand or machine harvesting at scale
- +Compact 2-foot plants maximize space utilization in small garden areas
- +Determinate growth habit simplifies planning and succession planting schedules
- +Average three seeds per pod provides good yield per plant
Considerations
- -Seventy-eight day maturity requires extended warm season in cool climates
- -Whole plant harvesting for retail sales demands significant post-harvest labor
- -Bush beans generally produce lower total yields compared to pole varieties
Companion Plants
Marigolds — French marigolds (Tagetes patula) specifically — are worth a row at the bed edges. Their scent disrupts aphids and bean beetles, and the flowers pull in parasitic wasps that work through caterpillar populations as a side effect. Radishes are useful in a different way: direct sow them between your soybean rows in early May and they'll be out of the ground inside 30 days, well before the soybeans need that space, and their sulfur compounds genuinely bother some of the beetles sniffing around for legumes. Corn makes sense spatially — Tohya fixes atmospheric nitrogen through Rhizobium bacteria in its roots, and corn planted nearby will benefit from that as it depletes the soil, while the height difference (corn at 6-plus feet, soybeans at 12-24 inches) means neither shades the other out.
Onions and other alliums are a bad match for any legume — the compounds they release into the soil interfere with Rhizobium colonization on bean roots, which cuts into the nitrogen-fixing benefit you planted soybeans for in the first place. Fennel is broadly allelopathic and suppresses most neighboring vegetables; give it its own container or a far corner of the garden if you grow it at all.
Plant Together
Marigold
Repels Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and nematodes while attracting beneficial insects
Nasturtium
Acts as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles, repels bean beetles
Carrots
Loosens soil for bean roots and doesn't compete for nutrients
Cucumber
Beans fix nitrogen that cucumbers need, while cucumbers provide ground cover
Corn
Provides natural trellis for climbing beans in three sisters planting method
Summer Squash
Large leaves suppress weeds and retain soil moisture for bean plants
Radishes
Break up compacted soil and mature quickly without competing for space
Rosemary
Repels bean beetles and Mexican bean beetles with its strong scent
Keep Apart
Onions
Can inhibit bean growth and nitrogen fixation through root secretions
Sunflowers
Allelopathic effects can stunt bean growth and development
Fennel
Inhibits growth of beans through allelopathic compounds released by roots
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #2346400)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Common Pests
Bean beetles, spider mites, aphids, slugs
Diseases
Bean rust, anthracnose, common bean mosaic virus
Troubleshooting Tohya
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Leaves with ragged chunks missing, skeletonized patches, or small round holes, noticed around weeks 5-8
Likely Causes
- Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) — larvae and adults both feed on leaf tissue from the underside
- Bean leaf beetle (Cerotoma trifurcata) — chews small circular holes through leaves
What to Do
- 1.Flip leaves and hand-pick egg clusters (yellow, football-shaped) and larvae; drop them in soapy water
- 2.Apply spinosad or neem oil to leaf undersides at first sign of feeding; repeat every 7 days if pressure continues
- 3.Rotate to a non-legume crop in that bed next season — NC State Extension's IPM guidance recommends at least 2 years out of legumes to break beetle cycles
Reddish-brown powdery pustules on leaf undersides, with yellow spots on the upper surface — usually mid-season
Likely Causes
- Bean rust (Uromyces appendiculatus) — a fungal disease that spreads by windborne spores and worsens in warm, humid conditions
What to Do
- 1.Remove and bag heavily infected leaves immediately — do not compost them
- 2.Thin to 4-6 inch spacing and pull weeds around the bed to open up airflow
- 3.Apply sulfur-based fungicide every 7-10 days once rust appears; start preventively if you've seen it in this bed before
Stunted plants with mottled light-and-dark-green leaves, sometimes with curl or puckering along the leaf edges
Likely Causes
- Common bean mosaic virus (CBMV) — transmitted by aphid feeding, particularly Myzus persicae (green peach aphid)
- Planting saved seed collected from infected plants
What to Do
- 1.Pull and trash symptomatic plants — CBMV has no cure and infected plants are a virus reservoir for the aphids already in your garden
- 2.Hit aphid colonies with insecticidal soap directly; check the undersides of young leaves every 2-3 days during warm spells
- 3.Buy certified disease-free seed for next season — Tohya is an heirloom and seed-saving is tempting, but mosaic virus moves with the seed
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take Tohya beans to mature from seed to harvest?▼
Is Tohya a good bean variety for beginners?▼
Can you grow Tohya beans in containers?▼
What does Tohya bean taste like?▼
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What makes Tohya beans good for commercial or retail sales?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.