divaqs's Blog

Sugar Snap Peas
Jun 28, 2007 | 11:21 AM PST
Tags: Sugar Snap Peas , Pisum sativum , legume

Sugar peas are something I really enjoy growing in my garden and yard in both the spring and fall.

I like the way that the pole varieties attach themselves to just about any structure and grow up it, making it possible to use them in a landscape like many other vines, be it on trellises, arbors, fences, wire frame yard ornaments, bamboo poles, etc.

This year I chose to grow my spring time sugar peas on a bamboo structure I made, with some wire frame towers intermixed for variety. As they have grown over this structure they have formed a living fence, which has further sectioned off my herb beds into a virtual room.

 

If you want to be really creative you could try growing peas on other sturdy plants, like small trees, corn stalks, etc. as a companion plant.

This year I planted an open pollinated variety called Cascadia, which is described by my seed company as;

“This enation-resistant snap pea comes to us from Dr. Jim Baggett at Oregon State University. The short, 32 inch vines yield an abundance of dark green 3 1/2 inch pods that are thick, juicy, and very sweet. Also resistant to powdery mildew. Interchangeable with snow peas and also makes a fabulous snack!”

What attracted me to this variety was that I can use it both as a snow pea or sugar snap pea. Meaning, the pea pods are tasty as well, so I can start picking and eating the peas even before the peas have formed in the pods, or I can wait and shell the peas.

Since this particular variety is open pollinated, I am hoping to save some of the peas for replanting for a fall harvest. However, I seem to be having a hard time letting any of the peas get to the point of being suitable seed, since they are a favorite snack of not only everyone in my family, but also my dog. While I was out  for about half an hour picking some of the strawberries growing around base of the peas I observed my dog eat at least 4 different peas right off the vine. She will sniff around to find one she likes and then balance on her hind legs to reach up and pull the ripe pea pod right off the vine to eat.

This spring I have experimented with using pea vine tendrils in my stir fries.  Pea vine tendrils are sometimes used in Asian cooking, such as stir-fries, Asian salad, and garnishes. One day I picked some of the top 6-8 inches of pea vines (tendrils) and included them in a stir fry.  I made the mistake of not cutting them into smaller pieces, so my kids weren’t excited about finding string like things in their stir fry. I won’t make that mistake next time. The Cascadia variety I planted is reputed to have been one of the favorites in pea vine tendril trials conducted at Washington State University Extension.

Peas are usually a cool season crop, which is why I plant mine in the spring, before most other garden plants, and I then plant them again in the summer for a fall crop. Inbetween, I miss having fresh peas in the hot days of summer. They also like to be planted close to each other, so they can support and shade the other vines. A few years ago I tried growing them spread out on a chain link fence, thinking I would get a better harvest by giving them more space, however they instead did poorly and seemed to dry out and die quickly, as if the sun was burning them.

I am thinking I will need to plant more for fall than I did in this spring, since I am hoping to freeze some as snow peas for stir fry mixes. Currently I don’t seem to have enough to get past everyone, including myself and my dog, eating them as quick as they grow.