The plants are vining and need support. The pods are tender when young and frequently used as snap beans. For this use, harvest them when the pods are partially developed and before seed enlargement shows. For shelling, harvest them when the seeds are full size, but still immature. They may also be shelled when fully mature.
Soybeans are highly nutritious and produce fairly well in many areas of Texas.
Certain varieties, commonly called vegetable soybeans, are milder in flavor than those grown in fields. They are normally eaten in the green shell stage. The pods should be thick when fully mature but still green and tender. In most areas of Texas seed them in May or June in rows 30 to 36 inches apart with plants 2 to 3 inches apart in the row. A. Broad beans, also called fava, horse bean and Windsor beans, are not true beans.