GREENGOLD GARDEN CONCEPTS
CARE AND MAINTENANCE NOTES

SNOW PEAS

These notes adapted from the internet pages of Arthur Yates & Co. Pty. Ltd., for Greengold .

Harry's Tips for Growing Snow Peas

There are two main reasons why snow peas are well worth growing in the home garden: because they're climbers, the plants don't take up much room, and the pods are at their very best when they're first picked. The home grower can harvest pods just as they're needed.

One gardener I know grows a few snow peas in a raised bed along the side of the house, mixed in with a jumble of flowers and bulbs. No one would think that this bed bore any resemblance to a vegetable patch, but the peas are there, ready for picking, whenever she needs some.

Harry Dunn, an accomplished and experienced vegetable grower, says that he wouldn't be without snow peas in his winter/spring garden. He starts planting seeds two weeks after Anzac Day and keeps sowing periodically through until late July.

Harry says that snow peas have got to be some of the easiest vegetables to grow in the home garden. I asked him to share his growing methods:

Harry's Tips:

Tip 1 - Pick a sunny spot with a tall fence, at least two metres (six feet) high. This should face north/south, so that it gets as much sun as possible.

Tip 2 - Dig the soil deeply or, if your soil is shallow, build a raised-up bed.

Tip 3 - Harry thinks this tip is one of the main reasons for his success - sprinkle a closed fistful of lime or dolomite (which is lime with added magnesium) into each square metre of the planting bed. Of course, if you live in an area with limy soil, this step won't be necessary.

Tip 4 - Water the bed well the day before sowing.

Tip 5 - Sow seeds 25 mm (1 inch) deep.

Tip 6 - After sowing, spread one open fistful per square metre of Dynamic Lifter along the row.

Tip 7 - Dig a trench about 30 cm away from plants and, after they've emerged, water by filling in the trench and letting it drain into the soil. Watering only at the base helps prevent fungal diseases.

Tip 8 - After the pea pods form, pick them regularly. This keeps new crops coming.

Harry says the best thing about snow peas is that, when he's picked a few, he gets inspired to cook some Chinese food, his all-time favourite. When I asked him if he could think of any special problems that might affect snow peas, he told me that his main problem was, because they're always so popular with his family, he has trouble growing enough to keep up with the demand.

Once you grow your own snow peas, and find out how good they taste, you'll see just what Harry's talking about!