How To Garden Better

Growing Snow Peas

Snow peas are a cool weather crop, and is the perfect plant for those who just can’t wait to get the Garden going.  They can be planted as soon as the ground is workable.  In our area, where the last frost date is about May 20, I aim to get them in the ground around St. Patrick’s Day.

Snow peas will fix their own nitrogen, so adding too much additional nitrogen to the soil will result in too much foliage and too few pods.  Dipping the seeds in a little nitrogen fixing inoculant would be beneficial if planting in an area that has not been used for growing peas or beans (legumes) in the past.  The nitrogen is actually being processed by microbes associated with the legumes, and if they aren’t provided by adding inoculants, sometimes the plants will be a little slower to start off until the microbes are established.

I plant the seeds in single rows about a foot apart and have a trellis system handy because they will usually grow fairly rapidly.  They enjoy full sun, but if you can give them a little afternoon shade, they might last a little longer into the warmer weather.  They are very tolerant of frost, snow, and freezing temperatures, but do need some slightly warmer weather for good growth.

This year we have limited yard space, so I tried growing the snow peas in containers next to the house.  I planted them fairly close together (6” apart), and am using the eave of the house to attach wire for climbing.  I didn’t get a chance to plant until April 1, and harvested my first pods June 1.

Harvest the snow pea pods when they are about 3” long and still flat.  They get tough once they start to puff out.  They develop from flower very quickly, so check them at least every other day.  They will continue to produce new pods more quickly if the more mature pods are being harvested.

I have found that snow peas stored in an unsealed Ziploc bag in the crisper will keep for at least a week.  I often do this if there are not enough in one harvest to bother to stir-fry. They are also great raw.

-editor
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