Did you know that if you trellis your sugar snap peas there'll be no slow down in growth and you'll get the most amount of peas from your plants? Well you will! And here's how.
Sugar snap peas are mostly cool season plants. That means they're usually planted in early spring and maybe in early fall in some locations. They have a relatively short growing season - about 6 to 8 weeks. They like full sun, but in hotter climates some afternoon shade is appreciated.
There are many varieties of sugar snap peas, but climbing varieties can reach 6 to 8 feet and will welcome the support of a trellis.
Sugar snap peas have little tendrils that are attached to the stems. They use these tendrils to help them grow vertically in order to protect and grow the vine. To help them along, you just need some twine and a pair of scissors. The twine should be pretty fine as the sugar snap pea tendrils are pretty fragile.
You're basically going to use the twine to extend the trellis so the sugar snap peas can find something to grab onto sooner. String the twine along the bottom of the trellis, about an inch or two below the top of the tallest pea shoot. Tie it pretty tightly so there's good tension on the twine. Continue tying rows of twine up the trellis about every 2 to 3 inches. This way, not only will the pea shoots grab onto the trellis, but they'll also grab onto the twine.
Once you've got your trellising set up and your pea shoots have started to grow, you can succession plant in order to get more peas during the season. Every 2 or 3 weeks, just plant some additional sugar snap pea seeds in your garden. Harvest your sugar snap peas when the pods are still green and tender. The peas inside the pods should just be starting to swell. Snap off the ends of the pods and remove any strings. Enjoy!
If you'd like to learn more about sugar snap peas and other plants in the kitchen garden, join Gardenary's online course - Kitchen Garden Academy where you'll find a step-by-step guide for your raised bed vegetable garden
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