Peas That Please

It's easy to see how sugar snaps got their name-they're sugary sweet and a snap to grow.

A hybrid of English peas and snow peas, sugar snaps are hardier and hold their flavor longer than either parent does. They are one of the tastiest treats you can grow in a garden. Unlike most other peas, their tender outside shell can be eaten.

Sow Easy

To grow sugar snaps, you'll need six to eight hours of full sun daily. Sandy loam soils work best, but heavy soils will do if they're well prepared. Work plenty of organic matter, such as leaf mold, peat, or mushroom compost, into the soil. It should be tilled or loosened to a depth of at least 8 to 10 inches.

In the Upper South, set out seeds in early or mid-spring. In the Middle South, sow in late winter or early spring. Gardeners in the Lower and Coastal South can plant in fall, winter, or early spring.

Sow seeds 1 inch deep in heavy clay soils and 2 inches deep in sandy soils. Plant them 1 to 2 inches apart in rows spaced 3 feet apart. Once seedlings push through the soil, thin them so they're 3 to 4 inches apart, using clippers or a pair of scissors to cut them to the ground. (Pulling up the unwanted seedlings can damage surrounding plants.)

Picking Peas

There are many selections of this delicious vegetable. 'Sugar Snap' and 'Super Sugar Snap' will grow 5 to 6 feet tall, while others such as 'Sugar Sprint' and 'Sugar Lace' reach only 3 feet in height. Choose tall selections for a bigger harvest over a longer time. Plant smaller ones if you have limited space or want an early harvest. (For sources see page 142.)

Grow them on a fence or trellis, where they can use their curled tendrils to climb. Once peas are about 6 inches tall, side-dress them with a slow-release, low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10.

Plants begin producing edible pods in spring and continue into summer. Harvest before peas mature, when pods are flat or slightly plump but not bulging. Pods will grow tough if left on the vine too long, but they can be shelled and eaten like English peas. Pick regularly so plants will keep producing, and eat them promptly for the best flavor.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Feb 2004
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