First time growing peas.. bush varieties or other..?

[theskyisthelimit99]

I've decided to take a shot at growing peas here in SW PA.. ill say that I do have a garden that is mostly in the sun except for maybe 2 hours out of the day, but still going to see how it goes.

I'd like to grow a variety that you can eat the whole pod, not just the peas.. I'm unsure whats the best/tastiest of the bunch.. I see alot of mention of sugar snap peas.. not sure if thats just a generic term or not..

I have wooden trellis I can use for support, but I was targetting the variety found in store packets here that state they grow to 24 to 36" tall, not the 5 foot or taller types.

One I did find was Ferry Morse Green Arrow bush variety.. I'm unsure if these are considered "sugar snap" or are sweet enough and whether or not the pods are good as well..

These don't always indicate edible pods or sugar snap though.
I see mentions of Oregon Sugar Pods.. which I believe I've seen locally, unsure on the height. (edit I think 28" from the walmart asian ones)..

*Can you mix varieties of peas like you can tomatoes in the same season?


I may need to grab some added nitrogen rich fertilizer, is also my understanding..


Any suggestions on a variety to look for locally in seed packets (IE: walmart/lowes, local feed stores)?

Thanks in advance

[SQWIB]

I prefer Snow Peas, they're thinner than sugar snap. I like them in stir fry.
This is my 2nd year with peas. last year was Sugar Snap, this year are two varities of Snow Peas, "Mammoth Melting Snow Pea" and "Swenson Snow pea".
I'm also growing some Bush Beans.

Swenson Snow Peas 2 days ago.

[imafan26]

I also prefer the snow peas Melting Mammoth and Oregon Sugar. Peas like cool weather so you have to get them in before the heat of summer sets in. Mine are nearing the end of their season. I planted mine in March and I am harvesting now. I will have about a month of twice daily harvesting before it dies. I planted pole beans at the same time. The pole beans can take more heat and they may last a little longer but not much. They are also producing now and will have a 6 week run. These are vining varieties. I don't like the thicker podded varieties.

Beans will take more heat and yard long beans will take a lot of heat and are very productive so I will probably plant that next.

[skroup]

Sugar Snap Peas, also referred to as just Snap Peas, is a general pea variety where the whole pod can be eaten either raw or cooked with a nice sweet flavor and a crisp/crunchy texture. There are a few varieties of snap peas, most will simply be labeled as Sugar Snap. A good variety to look for that you should be able to find locally is Sugar Sprint, these grow about 2 feet tall and can be grown with or without support.

Snow Peas are also a variety where the whole pod can be eaten, although they are not as sweet and more mildly flavored. These are sometimes labeled as Chinese Pea Pods since they are often used in stir-fries. The Oregon Sugar Pod you mentioned would be a good compact variety.

Things to look for on the packs are snap or snow pea for edible pods, and compact or dwarf for plants that will not grow so tall.

The Ferry Morse Green Arrow bush variety is what is known as a garden pea, or shelling pea, which needs to be removed from the pods.

You can indeed mix pea varieties in the same season, it is also a good idea to save planting space and do a second planting two weeks after the first to extend your harvest.

Peas and beans take nitrogen in from the air and moves it to the soil, so a nitrogen rich fertilizer is not that necessary. All that is needed is a good soil rich in organic matter (I.e. compost) for your peas to grow.

Hope this helps.
Happy Gardening!

[theskyisthelimit99]

Sugar Snap Peas, also referred to as just Snap Peas, is a general pea variety where the whole pod can be eaten either raw or cooked with a nice sweet flavor and a crisp/crunchy texture. There are a few varieties of snap peas, most will simply be labeled as Sugar Snap. A good variety to look for that you should be able to find locally is Sugar Sprint, these grow about 2 feet tall and can be grown with or without support.

Snow Peas are also a variety where the whole pod can be eaten, although they are not as sweet and more mildly flavored. These are sometimes labeled as Chinese Pea Pods since they are often used in stir-fries. The Oregon Sugar Pod you mentioned would be a good compact variety.

Things to look for on the packs are snap or snow pea for edible pods, and compact or dwarf for plants that will not grow so tall.

The Ferry Morse Green Arrow bush variety is what is known as a garden pea, or shelling pea, which needs to be removed from the pods.

You can indeed mix pea varieties in the same season, it is also a good idea to save planting space and do a second planting two weeks after the first to extend your harvest.

Peas and beans take nitrogen in from the air and moves it to the soil, so a nitrogen rich fertilizer is not that necessary. All that is needed is a good soil rich in organic matter (I.e. compost) for your peas to grow.

Hope this helps.
Happy Gardening!

Thanks all for the tips.. this is perfect

[jal_ut]

Welcome to the forum theskyisthelimit99. If you will add your location and zone to your specs it will help us to understand your problems and offer help. Growing conditions vary a bunch across the country depending on location and elevation.

About peas: I like to plant 2 to 4 rows spaced ten inches. They don't get any special treatment. Here I must irrigate and our water comes from a canal up above down a pipe and I have sprinkler irrigation using rainbirds. The garden gets watered once a week.

Victory Freezer
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[applestar]

Yesterday with high of 90°F here in NJ, I would have said it might be too late to even get them to sprout in Pennsylvania, especially in southern part, but maybe better chance if you are at a higher elevation where it might be cooler. Today, we are seeing down swing in the temperatures that may continue -- thermometer is headed down from 85°F at midnight to 64 right now and supposedly going to continue on down unless we get some sun.

If you are going to start them now, though, try to pick a spot that don't get scorching noon-afternoon sun, and keep the roots shaded and mulched. Be sure they have no significant root competition and have plenty of DEEP root room. Be very careful not to let them get dried out. Stress will mm them give up growing faster.

Look for fast maturing varieties -- 60 days or less. More varieties of Snap peas are are fast maturing -- bloom earlier, and since they are harvested before peas fully Plump up and while pods are tender, best choice. Snow/flat edible pod peas are harvested even earlier as the pods while they remain flat will tend to get stringy and tough as the peas plump up, but they tend to not bloom until later for some reason -- except a couple of varieties -- partly because they are mostly taller vining varieties I think. **Typically dwarf varieties start blooming earlier**

While I like growing all three types, I try not to get them mixed up in same bed/on same trellis because initially it can be tricky to tell which one is which, and you will have to sacrifice a few by test biting them. When harvesting, I put them in separate containers, especially the shelling kind and edible prodded snap kind.

In the future, plan on sowing/starting peas around 3rd week of March (in SW Pennsylvania -- that is) ... I guess about 5-6 weeks before last average frost for most, though some people say you can toss peas on snow to plant them (I tried that once and the birds and the squirrels thought I was feeding them )