Growing Sugar Snap Peas

When harvesting seed for next year's crop, it's important that the fruit stay on the vine/plant as long as possible, even until frost. The pods of peas and beans should be dry, papery, and tough.

This rule of thumb even applies to fleshy fruits such as melons and cucumbers. The cucumber may become soft and mushy. This does not affect the quality of the seed. The seed should be scooped out, cleaned and thoroughly rinsed, then spread out and allowed to dry before storing.

I took a chance by collecting these sugar snap peas long before they had dried. I probably will have success with planting them, though the germ rate may not be high.

I had a reason for collecting these pea seed so early. I planted them early and they bore early. Along side the pea plants, I planted other vegetables which will be two more months in maturing. With all the rain we've had, the pea vines developed powdery mildew.

Not wanting the mildew to spread to the later maturing plants, I pulled up all the pea vines. I laid the vines in the sun for a day. It would have been better had I hung the vines upside down for a couple of weeks in a well ventilated area before collecting the seed.

This is my first time to grow sugar snap peas. They are an heirloom variety and very easy to grow. The seed can be planted long before it's warm enough to plant most crops.

These peas are delicious when picked while very young and tender and the pods are still flat. The pods are sweet and tasty and when cut on the diagonal, make a wonderful addition to a salad. I didn't get quite that far. I ate them straight from the vine and thoroughly enjoyed every one.

My plans are to grow many times more, next year. Unlike snow peas, the sugar snap freezes very well. I plan to have a freezer well stocked with this easy to grow and very delicious pea.

I grew these in containers. Do you know that returning the vines of legumes to the soil and allowing them to break down there, adds a very significant amount of nitrogen to that soil. So, unless you have a goose that would relish the spent vines, return them to the soil, either directly or via the compost bin.