I live in Southern California, about an hour north of L.A. It has been pretty warm here and I fear the sun may have been beating down on him too harsh, but if i move him inside i fear he will suffer from lack of sunshine. Lately, he's been getting heavy morning sun from when it comes up to about 12, when it reverts away from my balcony. I want to nurse him back to health but I'm not sure which nutrients he's lacking, if that makes sense. I wish I had grabbed mine a month earlier as well, being such a new gardener I'm not sure which plants to buy now to bloom in april. got some serious research ahead of me, lol!

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Start over. Peas are a winter crop for SoCa. It is is warm get some eggplants or okra instead, or, if you have large containers, some melons or watermelons. If you want sugar snaps seed them in October for harvest in January-February.

fertilizer burn from over fertilizing?

They are already potted, and grown, with flowers, so I'd love to not completely start over, even if it doesnt produce this late I'd love to be able to keep it alive. I have a bag of peat moss, a bag of top soil and miracle grow. The plants I have now I bought in the last 2 weeks, and I have Zinnia seeds (peppermint sticks) and Aster seeds (oceanstar mix) that I'm debating between planting. If they are fertilized it's whatever is in the soil that came with it, cos I've only watered it. Any thoughts?

Thanks again for the feedback it is helping me get the hang of this!

Hi there-
I'm in the SFV- It's too warm now for peas for us. Plant them in Sept or Oct and you'll have peas Jan thru March. I actually took mine out this weekend because they were done- I planted my first beans :) A little early maybe, but if the weather stays warm they'll get a great head start before June gloom slows everything down again.
good luck!

Is that what's happening to them then? They are supposed to be dying? How do I preserve this to for next year just keep watering? Or do I pull out a seed and save it? or do i just uproot it, throw it away, reuse the pot, call it a loss on money? (since the saleswoman should've told me they were done, I told her I was a first time gardener and she was very impolite). I dont want to just ignore it and let it die, I still like having green on the balcony, even if it's not producing peas shouldnt it still grow? or be green? or something?

If you're putting Miracle Grow in the water every time you water the peas, you're probably over-fertilizing and burning them. Skip the MG and just give them straight water. With any luck they'll perk up.

Snap peas and beans require little nitrogen - as they can "manufacture" there own. It looks like you might have some powdery mildew going - a sign of too much moisture in the air. This usually attacks veggies later (during June/July gloom).

Actually, snap peas are almost done, although I planted a 2nd crop in around late Jan/early Feb, and they are still looking strong - both crops are still producing (great crop this year). However, I am anticipating that their days are numbered, as we are getting into the 70's sometimes now.

Peas can also be subject to a virus (can't recall name off hand) when plants will suddenly wilt. The whitish material, however, best describes mildew.

Bejay

Once we start having days above 80 degrees- and especially having our Santa Ana winds, my peas start turning yellow from the bottom first. The "younger" your pea plants are, the more this warm dry air will affect them. (Older plants can take a little heat.) Two years ago, my fall peas were so good that I decided to plant a "spring" crop in February. But they struggled, turned yellow, then brown - I got some flowers but never any peas. I had to pull them up in April. (They don't last from year to year.) So this year, I just planted twice as many in October. If you are looking for some greenery on your patio, how about a tomato plant or some rosemary. They are both hardy. And if your balcony is protected, the rosemary is perennial. (Sometimes we can even get a tomato to last the winter to here!) hope this helps.

Hi arielletea,

The peas I planted last Sept. are doing the same thing. I think their times' up. If you have any mature peas left on them (the ones with large swollen seeds inside), move it to a shaded spot, let the whole plant wilt and the seed pods dry. Then pull up the whole plant and save the seeds by removing the pods. Allow the seeds to air dry and put them in a zip bag in the frig. Plant them this fall and you should have peas again.

Like other said, this is the time to plant beans. But try to poke beans in a different pot unless you only have one. Peas and Beans do not need much fertilizer if you use store bought potting soil in your pots.