Sugar Snap
What's special about Sugar Snap
Plump edible pod AND peas. Eat whole. String the seam.
Growing this variety
Sugar Snap follows the same growing basics as Pea. Variety-specific maturity above; everything else below applies to the whole Pea family.
Germination
Spacing & depth
How to plant
Direct sow in cold, wet soil. Provide a trellis at planting — pea tendrils can't grab thick supports; use twine or netting.
Grower's tip
Inoculate seed with rhizobial powder for a bigger crop and richer soil after.
Soil preferences
Well-drained loam. Beans and peas fix their own nitrogen — don't over-fertilize.
6.0–7.0
Inoculate seed with rhizobia bacteria at planting for a nitrogen boost. Skip nitrogen fertilizer.
Watering
1 in per week; more during flowering and pod fill.
Drip at the base — wet foliage invites anthracnose and rust.
Overwatered: yellow leaves, dropped blossoms, root rot. Underwatered: dropped flowers, short pods with few seeds.
Prefers top-watering — Top-water at the base with drip. Rust and anthracnose spread through wet leaves — never work in a bean patch when it's wet.
Temperature tolerance
65–80°F (18–27°C) for beans; 55–70°F (13–21°C) for peas
50–65°F (10–18°C)
Peas and favas tolerate frost; common beans, limas, and southern peas are frost-tender.
Container growing
Yes — great in containers
3+ gal (11 L) for bush types; use a trellis for pole types
Bush beans and peas do well in pots; pole types need a sturdy 6-ft trellis.
Succession planting
Bush beans every 2–3 weeks until 8 weeks before first frost. One planting of peas per cool season.
Detailed harvesting
Pick snap types young and often when pods snap crisply. For shell beans, let pods dry to brown on the plant.
Post-harvest storage & preservation
Fresh: refrigerate 3–5 days. Freeze blanched. Dry-shelled: store in sealed jars after freezing 3 days to kill weevil eggs.
Culinary, medicinal & other uses
Fresh snap, shell fresh, dry for storage, sprout for greens, cover crop for soil building.
Medicinal or traditional uses are shared for interest only — this is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before using any plant medicinally.
Seed saving
Self-pollinating (peas, common beans). Runner beans and fava beans cross via bees.
10 ft for common beans; 150 ft for runners and favas.
The pod IS the seed — let extras dry on the plant, shell, and freeze 3 days before storage.
Your zone's planting calendar
Pick your USDA hardiness zone and we'll estimate the key dates for pea in your area. These are regional averages — always check your own last-frost forecast before sowing.
My Sugar Snap Pea notes
Sugar Snap Pea seeds on hand
Track packets and loose seeds you already have. Private to your account.
Par level — leave at 0 for no alert. Anything below par shows on Seed Starting and your shopping list.
From your kitchen — grow pea from what you already have
Save seed from your best-tasting variety — peas rarely cross, so seed stays true.
- 1Leave pods on the vine past eating stage until they turn tan and papery and rattle.
- 2Shell peas onto a tray and air-dry another 1–2 weeks indoors.
- 3Freeze in a sealed jar 3 days to kill any weevils, then store dry.
- 4Sow in early spring, 4–6 weeks before last frost.
Storage: 3 years dry.
Order more seeds
Running low? Reorder from one of these seed stores.
Loading…
Other Pea varieties
Snow Pea
55 daysFlat edible pod with tiny peas. The stir-fry pea.
English / Shelling
65 daysPods are inedible; shell out sweet round peas. Freezes beautifully.
Dwarf / Bush
55 days18" plants — no trellis needed. Smaller yield.
Tall / Pole
70 days5–6 ft climbers — heavy yield if you give them the trellis.
Purple Podded
65 daysDeep magenta pods make picking easy — you can actually see them.
Oregon Sugar Pod II
60 daysAAS snow-pea heirloom — 4 in flat edible pods on 30 in vines. Disease-resistant and prolific.