Sugar Snap Peas...
 

Ah., our favorite spring time veggie (maybe our favorite veggie of all, but probably because they are here and gone in the blink of an eye). I am going to plant a short variety of Sugar Snaps (forgot which one) - first time for me to plant peas in my hot Raleigh garden. Any zone 7/8ers around here, if I plant them this weekend, is it too late? Can peas survive frost, if they emerge then get hit? I am going to plant the Crockett Victory Garden method - 10 inch wide trench, with short sticks spread throughout for support. Can't wait!

Sorry, Craig. Not a reply, but a question:

I am NOT a pea lover, as in English podded pea, but adore snow peas. Where does the snap fit in, or is it something other?

Thanks,
Jennifer, debating whether to try but edging towards the positive given Craig's enthusiasm.

Sugar Snaps are heaven! Picture a cross between sweet, tender English peas and a crunchy green bean (with a pea flavor). You can crunch the whole pod, it is tender, with sweet pea flavors - when we don't eat them all raw, we just stir fry them briefly with a bit of butter, and a dash of salt and pepper. They are a remarkable veggie, and we eat them nearly every evening for dinner when they are in season!

Yum! Sugar snaps are my favorite spring veggie! I'll be planting Amish Snap in a couple of weeks. A trick that's always worked for me is to wait until the forsythia is blooming. If you have a bush in your yard or near your house, keep watching. As soon as you see yellow, plant your peas. I've followed this rule for years and it's always gone well. For me it's usually right around St. Patty's Day, so I'd guess any time now for you in Raleigh.

Sugar Snap peas,- my wife really annoys me with them, we both love e'm, but she gets a big bowl of them and sits watching the television in the evening graunching away on these sugar snaps-raw, and I sit there listning to it all :shock:

[quote=michael johnson;47297]Sugar Snap peas,- my wife really annoys me with them, we both love e'm, but she gets a big bowl of them and sits watching the television in the evening graunching away on these sugar snaps-raw, and I sit there listning to it all :shock:[/quote]

Michael,

Your wife sounds like a wonderful person. [I do the same thing!!]

I lived in Asia (Taiwan and China) for nearly 17 years, and never saw sugar snaps till we moved to Oregon. I planted them our first year here ('03). I simply couln't get enough. Awesome stuff.

Enjoy life, all!

Michael

Jennifer,
Sugar snap peas are great. Raw or very quickly stirfired, they are fabulous. They are also rarely any good from the store, they just dont hold up well. But, fresh from the garden, an incredible treat.

I have planted Sugar Snaps here at the end of February (early spring) to mid-March, depending on how much rain we've had and if the soil is dry enough to work with. They can take a light frost. Sugar Ann comes in about a week or two earlier than Sugar Snap or Super Sugar Snap. Sugar Ann has smaller pods than the othe two, but is every bit as tasty.

Plant twice as many as you think you need, and ready yourself for the downy mildew. But always volunteer to pick them . Lol...

Okay. I'm convinced.

Jennifer

I was able to secure a bit more garden space...is there a vining variety that you can grow on a trellis?

This would be my first time growing them...

Yes, Mark. I'm growing Amish Snap this year. The vine grows 5-6 feet tall. There's also a tall one that's just called Sugar Snap. If you want a shorter vine, under three feet, you can go with Sugar Ann or Sugar Sprint. Both of those are good.

Thanks Michele...I found that Heirloom Seeds has Amish Snap...so I can get it from them...I may also try Sugar Snap. My trellis will be six feet tall...so they can grow away:D

Mark, a six foot trellis should be more than sufficient for a sugar snap type pea. They are more "determinant" in that they don't grow up and up like a pole bean does. For me, Super Sugar snap was about a five footer and Sugar Ann was about a three footer. I've never grown Amish snap, so maybe that one is the pea version of the giant beanstalk :lol:.

Thanks for the infor Ruth...these are going into my son's (he's 3) new garden bed. We talked his mother into allowing us to get rid of a couple of bushes to allow a nice 9 x 4' bed for him.