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General information and discussion about cultivating beans, peas, peanuts, clover and vetch.

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Old February 10, 2012   #46
FarmerShawn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iva View Post
I would really appreciate it if you could help me with these classifications in terms of telling me exactly what they mean

Snow peas
Snap peas
Sugar Snap peas
Shelling peas
Soup peas

Then there are types of seeds as I understand it:
round
dented
shriveled

dried
fresh (ok, I get this one)
Snow peas - These are usually picked before the peas get round in the pod. It's the pods that are eaten, and they are usually used in stir-fries, although they can add a nice touch to salads. While tasty, they are not as sweet as others.
Snap peas - is the term used for peas that are picked when the peas are big and round, but rather than shelling them out, they are eaten pod and all, after first snapping the ends off and pulling the string that usually results along the seam of the pod. They are sweet, and great in any use - cooked or raw.
Sugar Snap peas - are the first variety of snap pea, and in my mind, still the best.
Shelling peas - are picked when the peas are big but still green, and the peas are popped out of the pod (shelled) for use as, well, peas. Our favorite, especially for freezing. Good varieties are real sweet.
Soup peas - I have no experience growing these, but they are, I think, picked when the peas are not only round, but dry - mature. I buy a bunch once a year for pea soup, when I have a ham bone. DW can't stand the delectable stuff, so I have to do it when she either is gone, or has alternative meals to eat.

Then there are types of seeds as I understand it:
round
dented
shriveled
- These indicate the sweetness of the pea - as the pea dries, the sweeter the pea, the more it shrivels. So soup peas are round (not sweet), while shelling peas (garden candy) are shriveled. Like corn in this regard - sweet corn seed is shriveled, wrinkled, sweet; dent corn, or field corn (for fodder), is starchy, but less sweet, and flint corn (for flour and grinding) seeds and popcorn seeds are hard and round, not dented at all. All starch and no sugar, pretty much.

Last edited by FarmerShawn; February 10, 2012 at 04:07 AM. Reason: added corn stuff
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Old February 10, 2012   #47
Iva
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Thanks to all three of you! You guys are the best!!!
I fully understand this now. I'm really relieved to have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Thanks again!
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Old February 10, 2012   #48
janezee
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I'll bet we all learned something! Great question.

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Old February 10, 2012   #49
OneDahlia
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Thanks so much to everyone who has shared info here! I've really enjoyed reading it, and learned a lot.
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Old February 10, 2012   #50
raindrops27
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Can someone post a reputable source other than park seeds. That sells the garden pea "blondie" I am done with their company.
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Old February 17, 2012   #51
OneDahlia
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I have more pea questions for those who have patience for a couple more, especially if you live somewhere near Northern VA ...

When are you usually pulling your peas out? How about shelling vs. snap vs. snow -- do they generally last different lengths of time?

We didn't talk too much about succession planting in this thread. I'm thinking of putting some peas (probably Super Sugar Snap) where I'll want to plant beans later -- wondering if the peas would be done in time? Should I plan it so I can plant the beans in front of the peas, in case they need to overlap time-wise? Also thinking of putting some peas (maybe Sugar Ann -- supposed to be earlier?) in two long, narrow beds where I'll plant melons and squash -- I was thinking like this: Short row of peas across the bed east-west, a squash plant, peas, squash, etc. ... and then when I pull each patch of peas, I could plant a new squash or melon plant in its place. (It seemed to me that later-planted squash and melons took off quickly last summer, and the squash, at least, took over for tired older plants.) Would the timing likely work out for these ideas?

Also planning to put some Mayfair shelling peas in the back (east side) of the tomato patch ... they're supposed to handle the heat relatively well and I figure that they can hang on as long as they want to there, and maybe the shade as the tomatoes grow will help them stay cooler as it gets hot.
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Old February 17, 2012   #52
janezee
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From what I remember of your weather when I used to live on the East Coast, your plan should work well. Tho only thing is that pole peas take longer, and produce longer than Sugar Ann. (which I love!)
I'd go for it, though, because you can always decide to pull the peas if it's time for the beans to go in. If you can bear to! lol
With the weather we had last year, our peas sat and did nothing for a month, then came like crazy in July and August. NOT a typical year, even for the PNW. My shell peas went by fast, but my Sugar Ann's kept going until late September. (Have I posted that before? Sorry if so.)
Ordinarily, I would say that you'd have no problem like that with your heat and humidity. But what's ordinary these days?
Have you planted yet?
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Old February 17, 2012   #53
Petronius_II
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Quote:
Should I plan it so I can plant the beans in front of the peas, in case they need to overlap time-wise?
I'm not sure if "overlapping" as you've described it would work for you, but... one consideration to keep in mind is, do you want to save seeds from your peas? I would, but I'm not you.

If you do want to save pea seed, then regardless of variety, you want to strategize everything so you can start pulling out the ones that succumb to the heat first. When I saved seed from Mammoth Melting Sugar (which seems to me to be fairly heat-resistant as snow peas go,) I saved only from the four or five specimens that kept producing the longest as summer kicked in. I'm pretty sure if I'd kept up that strategy for a few years in a row, I could've produced a really excellent strain of heat-beating snow peas. But I didn't. But any of us still can.

OneDahlia, have you tried Wando yet? That's supposedly the most heat-resistant shelling pea around. I haven't grown many other shelling peas, but so far, Wando works best for me. It's, um, the hot-selling pea seed in Albuquerque, pun intended.
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Old February 17, 2012   #54
OneDahlia
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Janezee, wow! Till September! Good to know about the pole peas vs shorter varieties. I don't want to have to make that choice of peas vs beans. What's ordinary these days -- that's the question! I haven't planted yet -- I'm thinking Monday because that's supposed to be the start of a nice warm week.


Petroneus, yes, I'd like to save seed. Good idea -- I may try it (though it would mess up the succession planting ). I don't have Wando -- will have to try it next year.
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Old February 17, 2012   #55
janezee
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Yeah, for me it would be peas every time. But I sure do love my beans, too, so I had to put in another bed. lol
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Old March 19, 2013   #56
stonysoilseeds
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imyself amgetting real heavt into peas this year i bought apound of alderman and heard they are a great variety with old fashioned taste has anyone tried aldermans before
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Old March 19, 2013   #57
Father'sDaughter
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I bought a package of Alderman peas for this year. It'll be my first time growing peas.
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Old March 19, 2013   #58
stonysoilseeds
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fathers daughter i heard great things about alderman peas it is very loved in the uk as a favorite.. they do grow quite tall and require strong support.. last yr i grew the smallest pea little marvel with not the best results my ground got too wet and i think the peas needed lime too but this yr i thoughtid try the tallest one
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Old March 21, 2013   #59
shelleybean
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My sister-in-law grows Alderman and likes it. My peas are just now coming up. I always grow Amish Snap, another tall, vining type pea. These are really good and handle Fusarium well. I hope to keep these going until the first week of June. I am trying a new one I've always wanted to try, Waverex, the little petit pois type. These are only a couple of feet tall. Looking forward to tasting these.
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Old March 21, 2013   #60
stonysoilseeds
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im so envious of your peas coming up shelly here in upstate ny its still like mid winter with many inches of snow on the ground i gueess i could plant snow peas in the snow lol but i really like the shell peas best.. its my first year growing the aldermans have only grown dwarf ones with good success before i just love fresh peas
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