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Vegetable Gardening

sugar snap peas seeds 50% snow peas

5 years ago

I have grown tall sugar snap peas almost yearly since the early 80's. Recently, over the past 4 years or so, my tall sugar snap peas seed packages are up to 50% snow peas. Anyone else having this trouble? my daughter is also experiencing this.
I just read that sugar snap peas are a cross between snow peas and sweet shelling peas. I am not sure if that is correct.

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cookiemon5

5 years ago

This year I planted only sugar snaps. I ended up with about 75% snow peas!

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Comments (7)

naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
5 years ago
Johnny's Selected Seeds addressed this issue with peas recently. Here is some info from them: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/selection-pea-seed-quality.html

They had/have a breeder working on "cleaning up" the seed stock for them.

I have experienced unwanted variations in some of the varieties I grow the last few years. Some edible pod peas were definitely NOT edible to me. I've even thought about spacing some of my own plants widely and rouging out the unwanted ones and then saving (hopefully) truer to type seed myself. My worst seed lots were from two different types of peas, one a snow pea variety and one a snap type variety. They were from two different vendors....one sold at a local store, and one ordered online. Both are well known names, but I prefer not to name them as I think this is a widespread problem. Neither one was Johnny's, though. I think they are working hard to supply their customers with top quality seed. Hopefully, other companies will do the same.
defrost49
5 years ago
I've been disappointed at my sugar snap peas and have been blaming our long cold, wet spring. This year's plants might be 4' tall at best. I have a photo taken several years ago of peas that topped the trellis by a couple of feet. This year's plants are more like Sugar Ann which is a shorter variety. Maybe it's seed quality.
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Snap peas ( Sugar Snap is one variety) are essentially shelling peas with a tender fleshy pod. They can be used at any up until the pod begins to dry. Like snap beans, as they approach maturity, they are best used as shellies. Both shelling peas and snap peas are normally used in immature stages. There is a group of peas usually referred to as soup peas, which are used as mature (dried peas) Snow peas are grown for the immature pods and tender shoots. The actual peas have little use. These have to be picked before the peas begin to form in the pod. A pod containing peas will be tough and stringy.
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Your dwarf gray sugar snow peas will have purple blossoms...that's the easy one for me to tell early on. The others you list should all be white flowered. The pods on the Sugar Pod 2 Snow Peas will be flat for quite awhile and the seeds will show though as small bumps. Pick them before the seeds grow large and the pods become rounder since the pods will be tough by then. The Burpeeana Early Peas will have pods that do not stay flat for long and do not show small seeds through the pod. Of course you want to leave this growing until the pods fill with good sized peas. I'd have trouble telling the Sugar Daddy Snaps from the Burpeeana's but since both are picked with rounded pods you can try them and see which has the fibrous pod.....BINGO...that's the Burpeeana and the other should be the tender snap pea, Sugar Daddy. In my garden, heights have not always agreed with the reported info. And some keep growing aller for a longer time and the height when flowering begins changes alot.
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i tried Sugar Sprint this year which is smaller and not as delicious as Super Sugar Snap but is only about 2 or 3 feet tall and stringless. i like to let SSS get really fat before harvest, is it just me or do they seem to get sweeter that way? The pods must be strung at any age but it is so much easier to string a fresh pea. queenofthemountain, did you get to taste any of the Sugar Snaps to compare to Super Sugar Snap? i have heard others say the taste is better? But also what your experience confirms, no resistance to PM. i was suprised to discover that snap peas come in yellow and purple. i know Sylvia grew some Golden Sweet snow peas recently and i just received some Opal Creek and Sugar Magnolia seeds. Anyone else trying any of the colored podded peas?
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Kevin Zone 6b - PIT, PA
5 years ago
Wow, this explains a lot. Here I thought I may have mixed up the seeds myself when planting. Its a little disconcerting when you take a bite into a snap pea and its just a stringy, nasty mess. Not to mention that probably means you harvested the pea a little too early, as it probably would have been better left alone for the peas to bulge up some more.
nancylp
Original Author
5 years ago
Kevin, i pick the flatter peas before the pods mature and become stringy since mine are more like snow peas. They are good, but not snap peas.☹️️
keen101 (5b, Northern, Colorado)
5 years ago
most snap peas are bred with a gene that is heat influenced. it's weird because you actually need hot weather to get good snap peas, but peas themselves need cool weather to survive and do well. So.. it's kind of a catch twenty two.
Peter (6b SE NY)
5 years ago
I haven't had any issues with the heirloom variety Sugar Snap.
nancylp thanked Peter (6b SE NY)

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