Blog How to Grow Snow peas. Botanical name: Pisum sativum var. Description Snow peas are an annual crop with flat edible pods that are eaten before the seeds properly form. Varieties of snow peas Snow peas come in both climbing and bush varieties. Oregon Giant : 1 metre climber with some resistance to powdery mildew. Oregon bush : 70cm and good for small gardens and children. Yakumo Giant : 2 to 2. Yellow podded : 2 metre climber with pink and purple flowers. Mammoth Melting : 2 meter climber that is high yielding with a long harvest period.
Should I grow from the seeds or seedlings? Cool, temperate and frost-free regions : February to August Cold regions : September to October Subtropical regions : April to July Tropical regions : generally not suited unless in cooler highland areas April to July Find a sunny position Plant your seeds around 2cm deep in a location where they will get at least six hours of sunlight each day. Provide well-drained soil Well-drained soil is required and mounding your beds before planting can help to achieve this.
Can I grow them in a container? Avoid over-watering Water seeds well after planting then do not water again until the seeds germinate because they are prone to rotting. Protect from pests and diseases Like all plants snow peas can suffer from some pests and disease but the best thing you can do is to grow them at a time that is right for your climate, practice crop rotation and keep your plants nutritionally healthy. Snow peas can fix nitrogen in your soil Snow peas and other plants in the legume family have a mutually beneficial relationship with a soil bacteria that helps it fix atmospheric nitrogen and store it in its root nodules.
Fertilising your plants Your snow peas should not need any extra fertilizer but if they are not looking their best around podding time, give them some organic fertilizer. Grow as a micro-green Try buying some seeds in bulk and growing them as a microgreen. Where do I buy seeds? Can I save my own seeds? Join 1 Million Women. Make a contribution. We're putting our money where the planet needs it! Take the pledge. Carbon challenge ,,, Tonnes of co2 savings pledged. Can you cut 1 Tonne of carbon pollution out of your life?
Take the challenge. Like us on Facebook. You can then cover with some chicken wire or string and plant the seeds around the base in the circle.
This is great for kids and can be a great place for them to hide and play. Check out the video below on how to grow a snow pea tee pee. You could grow any climber on this shape but peas work great. The simplest way to support your snow peas is with wooden or metal stakes and string.
Just hammer the stakes into the ground around 3 feet apart. Then tie string between each stake in rows. Allow around 1 foot of space between each row of string and this will give your snow peas the perfect place to climb. You may want to have one row of string around 4 inches from the ground to give your small plants something to grab onto. Another great way to grow snow peas is to grow them up a fence. Wire fences are the best and act like a ready-made trellis for your peas.
If you have a wooden fence, you could attach some chicken wire to the side of your fence just for pea growing and remove this at the end of the growing season. It is always important to plant your snow pea seeds straight into the ground.
Snow peas are great plants for kids to learn to grow as the seeds are big and they grow successfully. Snow peas grow over the cold weather so plant them when the weather starts to cool down in Fall or Autumn. Prepare the soil, dig it over and add some composted cow manure. Harvesting them early also encourages them to produce more. As a guide, peas are normally ready for harvest three weeks after flowering.
Peas quickly loose their flavour after harvesting, so pick them just before they are required for cooking. The peas at the bottom of the plant will tend to be ready first, so begin harvesting here, working up as time progresses. When the plant stops producing peas, cut the top of the plant off and leave the roots in the ground to compost for next year.
The one thing to remember when harvesting peas is that if you stop and let any peas ripen on the vine, the plant will stop producing. Even if you're fed up of peas or you need to go away for a week get a neighbour to harvest as once they stop they can't be stimulated back into action.
Pick your peas once or twice a week so the are still tender. Grip the pea by the stem and pull off the pod to avoid damage to the pea plant. There are of course different types of peas so I'll go through the harvesting of each. Pick when the pods are bright green when they are well filled but there is still a bit of space between the peas. Shell the peas remove from pod and cook or to conserve flavour cook whole and pod afterwards. Of course fresh peas are delicious eaten raw straight from the vine.
Leave the pods on the plants until they turn brown at the end of the season. Pull up the plants and hang in an airy place like a well ventilated greenhouse. When the pods are dry and crispy remove the peas and store in airtight jars. Pick when the outline of the pea is just visible through the skin and the pods snap cleanly in half. They remain at their best for a relatively short time so keep an eye on your plants. Pick when green, plump and easily snapped in half.
You can shell them if required but the pods of these peas can be eaten. Steam the whole lot very lightly, delicious! Pea plants take nitrogen from the air to grow and store it in their roots. As nitrogen is one of the essential building blocks of any healthy plant it makes sense to keep the nitrogen in the soil.
You can see the little nitrogen storing nodules as the white balls on the roots in the photo opposite. When the peas have finished producing at the end of the season cut them down to soil level. Dig in the roots to release the nitrogen in the root nodules for the use of next years vegetables.
Store pods in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use them within a couple of days. First blanch them for a minute or two in boiling salted water and then shock them in an ice-water bath until cool, to help maintain their bright color. Drain and freeze them in zip-top bags.
They will keep for five to six months. Freshly picked peas are one of the delights of the Summer, in my garden most rarely make it to the kitchen and with visitors snacking on the juicy green peas as they pass.
Peas are relatively easy to grow, just make sure you put the work in beforehand by building a stout support frame. All our videos are filmed over a full season so you can see the sowing, planting, crop care and harvesting stages. You can view our video by clicking the link or the Youtube icon. Our mailers are not the usual stream of special offers.
We're passionate veg growers and pride ourselves at the quality of our content. We bring you tips from top growers while keeping you up to date on our own gardens. Delivery Information. Growing Peas Peas are well-suited to cooler temperate climates. Where to Grow Peas Peas will grow on most soils, although they prefer a medium well-dug soil with plenty of organic material.
When to Grow By sowing a couple of varieties over a month or so, the cropping can be extended from mid-June to mid-September. Sowing Peas You can sow peas in modules or pots indoors for planting out later. Sugar Snap mangetout should be treated in exactly the same way as Maincrop peas. Transplanting Peas An alternative to cloche protection is to sow the seeds in late February on a windowsill - if this is done, use peat pots not plastic , because the seedlings can then be planted directly into the soil with the peat pot the peat will quickly break down in the soil - peas do not like their roots being disturbed.
Crop Care The first key need of peas is moisture, and they must be watered throughout their lives when conditions become dry.
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