Agree with Rodney. It sounds as if you are assuming it is the seeds that gave you such good results one year but not the other when actually 9 out of 10 times it was the different growing conditions, not the seeds, that made the difference. That is true for most all garden seeds. So saving the seeds from a good year doesn't mean you will have a good year with them next year too. I'm big on seed saving but since Hirt's sells 400 seeds for $2.99 )which is more than enough for several years worth of planting in a bed such as you describe), you can't beat that cost of 0.007 cent per seed by doing the work of saving your own. Not to mention that you'd have to let them dry on the vine. Dave

Okay, here's a reason for starting at the bottom of the threads and working my way up, instead of the other way around, LOL. I hadn't seen this earlier post on peas, but it's very interesting. Just to mention, I don't have luck with Burpee either. I'm now getting all my seeds from Johnny's because they out-perform the others so significantly. In any event, I appreciate the info on peas. I planted "Caselode" and am thinking maybe I'll try some different varieties and see what works best in my area. My problem with yield may also be that I let the peas get too big before picking? Or maybe my expectations are just off. I planted two 8' rows of them in the early spring. Seeds were planted about 2" apart and the rows were about 3" apart on either side of a trellis. Out of all that, I really only got one meal for a family of 4. Granted, I pulled the plants after I picked the first batch because they were already yellowing and I didn't see loads of new peas sprouting. Maybe I didn't give them a chance to give me more? How many shell peas does one really need to plant to get lots and lots of peas? My family loves them and would eat them every night, but instead, I'm giving them pole beans and zucchini. LOL

Jennie, I can't help with your climate questions, but snap peas are wonderful fresh. Since you've never grown them before, you could always start small and see what you think before committing a large space to them. But if you've got the space available, definitely go for it. (As for the weather, if you're only talking a couple dollars for a packet of seeds, try it and see what you get -- if they don't grow well, save the rest of the pack for late winter/early spring and see if that works better.) As far as support, I've grown dwarf snap peas in containers with an inexpensive tomato cage (the flimsy WM kind) in the middle to help get them started. They do cling to each other, but they also cling to the wire cage and I think this helps them withstand wind a bit better. For harvesting, snap peas are eaten whole -- you eat both the pod and the peas inside, all at once. The pods are nice and crunchy when raw. You can also add them to stir-frys or just steam them as a side dish. We tend to mostly eat them raw in our house. They are one of those "pick a handful while out in the garden and eat half of them before you get back to the kitchen" kind of veggies. :) Good luck! Kathy

Thanks for the response! Well everytime I have a problem I turned to the internet and try to find the answer. I've read that if the leaves turn yellow that it may be a fungus...probably from watering too much...again, Im guessing. I will ride it out and see what will happen to my peas!