Sugar snap pea

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade can help where spring temperatures rise quickly.

Water

Keep the soil evenly moist, especially during flowering and pod development, but never waterlogged.

Soil

Well-drained, moisture-retentive soil enriched with compost; ideally pH 6.0-7.5.

Height

6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m)

Spread

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m) per plant when supported

Flowers

White flowers in spring to early summer, or during the local cool growing season.

Foliage

Soft green, compound leaves with large leaf-like stipules and curling tendrils that grip supports.

Growth

Fast in cool weather

Care needed

Medium

• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.8 ft (0.25 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Install a sturdy trellis or netting 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) tall before sowing.
• Sow seeds about 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) deep and 2-3 in (5-8 cm) apart in workable, well-drained soil.
• Water at soil level during dry spells, keeping moisture steady while pods form.
• Work in mature compost before planting; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves rather than pods.
• Apply a light mulch once seedlings are established, keeping it clear of their stems.
• Guide young tendrils onto the support and pick regularly to prolong cropping.

Pruning. No routine pruning is needed. After cropping finishes, cut healthy vines at soil level and compost the tops; remove diseased material from the garden.

Pick whole pods when they are plump and rounded but still bright green, crisp and tender, usually about 65-80 days after spring sowing, depending on conditions. Hold the vine while snipping or gently picking pods every day or two, and remove the strings along the seams before eating.

Late winter

Prepare a sunny bed and install supports; in mild climates, sow once soil is workable and not waterlogged.

Early spring

Direct-sow in colder climates and protect emerging seedlings from birds and slugs.

Mid spring

Guide shoots onto the trellis, weed carefully and mulch once the soil has warmed.

Late spring

Keep flowering plants evenly watered and begin checking developing pods frequently.

Early summer

Harvest regularly; remove exhausted vines when heat ends production.

Late summer

Where autumn stays cool long enough, sow a second crop allowing roughly 10-12 weeks before hard frosts; hot soil can reduce establishment.

Autumn

In mild-winter regions, sow for a winter or spring crop where local conditions suit; elsewhere clean supports and remove crop debris.

• Train along the north side of a vegetable bed in the Northern Hemisphere, or the south side in the Southern Hemisphere, to limit shading of shorter crops.
• Cover an obelisk in a potager with edible greenery and small white flowers.
• Use a trellised row as a temporary spring divider between vegetable beds.
• Pair with low lettuce and radishes to use space beneath the climbing vines.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Cottage garden, Edible landscape, Homestead, Family-friendly and Small-space.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Radish, Carrot, Spinach, Spring onion and Calendula.

Wildlife: Flowers are mainly self-pollinating, though bees may visit. Birds may eat seeds and seedlings, and rabbits and deer can browse the vines.

• Powdery mildew: white powder develops on leaves, particularly late in the crop. Improve airflow, avoid drought stress and remove exhausted vines; the original 'Sugar Snap' is susceptible.
• Pea moth: caterpillars feed inside pods, particularly in the UK and parts of Europe. Cover plants with insect mesh before moths lay eggs and secure the edges; pea flowers normally self-pollinate.
• Slugs and snails: seedlings are eaten or disappear overnight. Check after dark, remove hiding places and use locally approved iron-phosphate bait if needed.
• Poor germination or rotting seed: cold, saturated soil encourages decay. Sow into well-drained soil and wait if the bed is waterlogged.

Garden peas are not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; peas, edible pods and young shoots are food. Large amounts may cause digestive upset in pets. Do not confuse them with ornamental sweet peas, whose seeds and other parts are toxic.

• Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

  An ornamental climber with usually fragrant, often brightly coloured flowers, winged stems and leaves typically bearing just one pair of leaflets. Its pods are not edible;

• Snow pea (Pisum sativum)

  Harvested with broad, flat pods before the seeds swell; snap peas have fleshy pods harvested when rounded.

• Shelling pea (Pisum sativum)

  Has a tough, fibrous pod lining, so the peas are shelled and the pods discarded; 'Sugar Snap' has thick, edible pod walls.

Pisum is the Latin name for pea, sativum means cultivated or sown, and 'Sugar Snap' refers to the sweet flavour and crisp snap of its edible pods.

Propagation. Grow from seed, preferably sown directly because roots dislike disturbance. To save seed, leave healthy pods to become dry and brown on the vine, then shell and dry the peas thoroughly; peas usually self-pollinate, although occasional crossing is possible.

Accepted botanical name

Lathyrus oleraceus Pisum sativum 'Sugar Snap' is an older name for Lathyrus oleraceus.

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Iraq and Italy.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 50 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.