Given the many benefits, you may be surprised at how easy the growing sugar snap peas are. Minimal handling and costs will lead you to rewards with almost no effort.
Snap peas itself is a type of vegetable.
The nutrients in it will help you live a healthy life. Of course, planting it yourself is a wise choice. Let us see the following review!
Contents
Sugar Snap Peas Identification
Before talking about growing sugar snap peas, you need to know the ins and outs. In taxonomy, this grower’s name is Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon, a part of the Fabaceae family.
People believe that this plant comes from Central Asia and has been a human food for thousands of years. This information is based on the carbon findings that probably came from 9750 BC in Thailand and Burma.
Sugar snap peas are cool weather plants that can withstand extreme conditions.
This species is an edible plant. Its round pods have thick walls. As an adult, the size can reach 4-8 cm. One pod generally contains 3-8 nutritious peas.
This plant grows vines upwards and can reach a height of 2 meters. Generally, gardeners will provide trellis so that they grow well.
Benefits of Sugar Snap Peas
Growing sugar snap peas in your garden is the best idea because these plants are highly nutritious. You can harvest and eat them while they are fresh to get the nutrients.
Here are some of the benefits:
- Sugar snap peas contain various nutrients that are important for the body, including vitamins A, C, B, and K. These foods are a source of fiber, potassium, folate, magnesium, and beta-carotene.
- The fiber in it helps with digestion.
- Vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene help increase endurance.
- Vitamin K is good for bone health.
- Potassium is a critical component for maintaining healthy kidneys, heart, and muscles.
- It tastes sweet and crunchy, making it suitable for salads and healthy foods, whether raw or cooked.
With the many benefits to get, growing sugar snap peas is one of the best choices. Moreover, use the plants as a garden decoration.
Characteristics and Requirements
As mentioned above, this plant likes cool weather. The best sugar snap peas growing temperature is at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 7 degrees Celsius).
Although still alive, they do not thrive in too-cold temperatures or even freezing conditions. So please set the environment well before and during planting.
As the planting media, you can use soil with a clay-like texture that can pass water quickly. You do not even need too much fertilizer.
Growing sugar snap peas will probably be more on the bed because it allows enough light. For container-based plantation, place it in direct sun exposure for 6 hours.
However, make sure the amount of light and water is sufficient. The too-hot soil will lead to withering and dehydration while overwatering will promote rotting.
You must be diligent in cleaning pests because their presence will interfere with the absorption of food. However, this grower is quite resilient.
After understanding it, you can start imagining how to prepare before growing sugar snap peas.
Best Time for Growing Sugar Snap Peas
The time you choose to start growing sugar snap peas will also determine the yield. The perfect time to plant it is in early April or early spring.
Accurately, you can start growing sugar snap peas 4-6 weeks after the last snow melts after winter. Make sure the temperature is at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Grow
Growing sugar snap peas are not much different from other vegetables. First, you need to prepare the land, tools, seeds, support system, and other equipment.
Following are some general steps:
Preparation
Before starting everything, you must have chosen the best land. Re-read the review on the “characteristics and requirements” section so you can sort out when, where, and how the planting process is.
Ensure the land has access to sufficient sunlight because smooth photosynthesis will produce a sweet taste. Meanwhile, avoid foggy areas because it creates high humidity and triggers rotting.
After that, you can cultivate the land that will be a planting medium. Provide proper nutrition for plants to grow well.
You can add fertilizer if necessary.
Sowing the Seeds
This step is prominent in growing sugar snap peas because the slightest mistake can make them fail to grow. Take a look at the points below:
- To help the germination process, try soaking the seeds in warm water overnight before planting.
- Start planting seedlings 1 inch deep. Leave a distance of about 2 inches from each potential pea.
- Fill it with soil until smooth, and flush with enough water.
- After that, you can start installing a support system, such as a trellis or stick.
- Add mulch (straw or compost) to the surface to maintain ideal soil conditions.
After the seeds are below the ground, carry out regular inspections to determine the development and condition of the plants.
Make sure the temperature and humidity are maintained properly.
Growing Sugar Snap Peas in Containers
If you do not have enough space, growing sugar snap peas in containers can be a choice. Make sure that the environmental conditions are favorable.
Preparation
Before starting to plant, you need to prepare equipment, soil, fertilizer, and others. Let us look at the list below:
- Pot with a size of 12 inches in diameter. Make sure the container has decent drainage holes and meets the requirements.
- A support system. You can use a trellis or sticks.
- Soil and fertilizer. For ease, you can directly buy a plant media package for legumes.
- Make sure you choose a place that allows the plant to direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day.
- Prepare quality seeds.
Instructions
Once all materials and tools are ready, we can start the growing sugar snap peas process. Try to follow these steps properly:
- Fill the pot with enough soil and fertilizer.
- Plant the seeds in a circular arrangement in the pot. Leave a distance of about 1 inch from the edge of the container. Put each seedling within a range of 1.5-2 inches.
- Install the support system
- Water well and make sure you always keep the surrounding environment ideal for the sugar snap peas growing stages.
Note that growing sugar snap peas in containers may differ slightly from ground-based.
The potted vegetables are more easily discolored due to dehydration. Therefore, do not forget to water it more often.
Caring for Sugar Snap Peas
After the planting process, your task is still not finished because you have to observe their development. If mold or pests appear, you can use a soapy water spray to repel them.
Mature plants can reach a length of 8 cm and continue to propagate.
Its growth is fast, but unsuitable environmental conditions can affect its taste. Therefore, you have to do inspections as often as possible.
Harvesting and Storing
This crop is short-season; you can harvest it only 6-8 weeks post sowing. As a suggestion, pick it immediately while the pods are still fresh and soft.
Consume the peas raw as salad or cook them right away with delicious seasonings. But if you want to save it for later, consider the following tips:
- Immediately after harvesting, wash immediately with water to remove potential diseases and other disturbances.
- Wrap the peas in a paper towel, put in an airtight container, and keep them immediately.
- This fresh plant has a shelf life of up to one week.
- You can also process it into pickles to increase the shelf life.
In addition to treating the harvest, consider some other things. If the plant is no longer producing crops, you have to replace it with another plant.
It is because the soil is lack nitrogen.
Try growing other vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, or other plants that will allow the ground to return to its original nutrients.
Additional Tips for Growing Sugar Snap Peas
It is necessary to know the ideal environmental conditions and how to plant them correctly. For plants to show maximum development and results as expected, you can apply the following tips:
Solving Germination Problems
Although hardy, growing sugar snap peas are a little tricky about germination. Because of its picky nature, it is common for seeds to fail to grow and cause losses.
As prevention, do not plant directly in the ground. Before planting, place it on a wet paper towel first and partially fold it to cover the seeds completely.
Leave at a warm temperature and wait for it to germinate.
Therefore, seedlings will not be stressed or die from rain or lack of nutrients. After the plants grow, you can plant them in the soil, both in beds and containers.
How to Get a Non-stop Harvest
It would be nice to eat organic vegetables from your garden anytime. However, there are times when gardeners have to wait for a new harvest.
But this will not happen in growing sugar snap peas. Even if it is not the growing season, try planting new seedlings every few weeks from late spring to early fall.
Plants that sprout out of season may experience a decline in quality, especially in summer. However, this method allows you to harvest more often.
Conclusion
Growing sugar snap peas is indeed a smart choice. In addition to being a nutritious crop, this plant is hardy and rarely experiences significant problems. Thus, you can effortlessly implement a healthy life.