Tips For Growing Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas are broadly speaking a mixture of the snow pea and the English pea. They are considered relatively easy to grow and can be eaten raw straight from the garden.
Pick the right spot
Sugar snap peas enjoy cool weather, which means you can plant them in early spring and late summer. You should sow the seed about an inch deep and take into account circumstances such as space for the harvest and the direction of sunlight. If possible, you should try to sow the seed in an area that receives an adequate amount of sunlight during the day.
A helping hand
For great results some gardeners treat the seeds with a nitrogen fixing inoculant. The inoculant stabilises the nitrogen in the surrounding soil and provides a bacteria that aids the growth. These inoculants are available online and in many gardening stores. The inoculant is not a necessity if there is good soil, good conditions and a nurturing eye, all of which will produce an adequate harvest.
Gardeners have commented on how raised beds often result in better growth. However, if there is a good amount of spacing between the seeds (approximately 2 inches) and they are sown in rows, this will produce a good harvest in a neat patch that will result in easy monitoring and care.
Grow, grow grow
Once the plants begin to sprout it will required some form of support to help it stand upright. There are a number of materials that are used but bamboo or a trellis should be fine. If support is not provided quickly enough, the plants will start to wrap around each other. There are some pea plants that do not grow higher than a foot or two, for these there is no need for support.
The sugar snap peas are ready for eating when the pods have reached their full size and become plump. The peas inside the pod should look chunky. One gardener's tip is not to let them mature too much to ensure a succulent taste.
If you wish to have a number of harvests it is advised that you stagger the grows two weeks apart, which means you will have a continuous cycle during the harvest season.