Growing Sugar Snap Peas
Attractive as well as useful, this variety of pea has decorative flowers and delightful tasting peas and pods. The sugar snap pea (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon) is easily grown along a trellis on a balcony or patio.
New look at an old food
Peas were known as long ago as 10,000 years B.C. This has been proven by archaeological finds in diggings at the border of Burma and Thailand. Peas were always eaten mature and dry and made into various types of soups and pease pudding. It was not until the 1600s that people began to each fresh green peas. This new habit started in Italy and later spread to the rest of the world.
Some types of garden peas
Peas can be grown and eaten in various ways and there are three main groups.
Green (or English) peas are the earliest and can tolerate the lowest spring temperatures. Pods are shelled to reveal the large green peas inside.
Cow peas (or Southern Table Peas) are warm-growers. Only the peas are eaten and the shells are discarded.
Sugar, or Edible-pod Peas, have pods which are entirely edible.
Edible-pod peas
Sugar Snap Peas (or Snow Peas as they are also called) have broad, flat pods which are eaten whole, like green beans. The pods are crisp and tender, and are a valuable addition to stir-fried oriental dishes. Sugar Peas taste best when harvested young and eaten fresh or cooked for just a very short time.
Sugar Snap Peas are available in either tall-growing or bush varieties. ‘Mammoth Melting Sugar’ is a fine tall-growing variety to 5 to 6 feet. ‘Dwarf Grey Sugar’ is a bushy one.
A new variety
Another Edible-pod Pea called ‘Sugar Snap’ is a fairly recent hybrid which is somewhat intermediate between Sugar Peas and Green Peas. The pods are tender and crispy, but inside is a full complement of full-sized peas. Instead of shelling ‘Sugar Snap’ peas, you merely string and snap like Green Beans.
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Cultivation
These peas are easy to grow in a tub on a balcony where they can climb up a trellis or a wire. They are attractive plants with decorative leaves and flowers. As the old leaves and stems die down, cut them back to allow for new growth.
Annuals
Peas are annuals that thrive in cool, humid conditions but dislike hot summers. They grow very quickly and will rapidly shoot up after spring sowing. Some varieties are low while others are tall and grow high, clinging on with tendrils at the tips of the leaves. Apart from their normal leaves, peas also have a large leaf at the axil which is either plain or marbled with white. The roots have small nodules which can take up nitrogen from the air. The white flowers grow in pairs on long stalks from the leaf axils.
Sow in April each year
Sow seed in April (or earlier, depending on your climate), directly in the soil. The earth should be fertile and well-drained. Peas love sun and can tolerate slightly windy conditions. Balcony plants should be sown in boxes or large pots 1 to 2 inches below the surface. The seeds germinate best when the temperature has reached the mid-60s. They will also grow in cooler weather, although more slowly. Thin seedlings out to 2 inches apart. When the peas are in flower, water as soon as you see the earth is beginning to dry out. The first peas will ripen in early June.
The peas can be eaten raw or cooked and can also be frozen for later use.
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Plant Doctor
Flea beetles may chew their way through young leaves in dry weather. They leave half-moon indentations on the leaf edges.
–The pea moth larvae are well-known to all who have ever shelled peas. They live off of the green unripe peas.
–Mildew can be found on peas growing in enclosed spaces and will appear as a white deposit on the surface of the leaves.
–Gray mold, or Botry-tis, is also a fungus disease and can attack the pods. It is caused by damp conditions.
–Since peas are an edible crop, you must be careful with chemical pesticides. If you decide to use them anyway, be very careful about the time which must elapse before eating the peas after you have sprayed them.
NOTE: Pesticides not used according to label directions can be harmful to man, animals and plants. Use only pesticides that have labels with directions for home and garden use. Always read and follow label directions.
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Lifespan: An annual which is sown in spring and dies in the fall.
Season: All summer but especially decorative when the plant has both flowers and pods.
Difficulty quotient: An easy plant which only needs plenty of water and sunshine.
Other names: Snow Pea, Edible-pod Pea.
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In Brief
Size and growth rate
All peas are annual and can be up to 5 feet tall. They climb with the help of tendrils growing from the tips of the leaves. Bush varieties are also available which grow just a few feet tall.
Flowering and fragrance
The white flowers grow in pairs on long stalks from the leaf axils. Although not fragrant the whole plant smells “green.”
Light and temperature
The seeds can germinate at temperatures right down to 45°F. Although peas can tolerate windy conditions, they do need some shelter in exposed areas. Peas are cool-season growers that resent hot, dry conditions–in warm climates, grow in spring and fall.
Watering and feeding
Is is important to water regularly when the plants are in flower and the peas and pods are developing. If the soil is nourishing enough, you will need no extra fertilizer. Peas are not demanding plants.
Soil and transplanting
Sow peas where you want them to grow. The soil should be rich and not too light, preferably with a pH of around 7. You may need to add lime to neutralize the soil. If you grow peas in the same spot every year, enrich the soil each season by mixing in some fertilizer before planting.
Grooming
If the leaves turn yellow in the summer, trim the plant back a little and new leaves and flowers will appear.
Propagating
Use seeds planted 1 to 2 inches below the surface in April and May. In warm climates, plant for spring or fall production.
Environment
Sugar Snap Peas make an unusual balcony plant when allowed to grow in the sun along wires or a trellis.
