Snow peas may have been named because in bright sunlight their light green pods appear to be tinged with frost. One of the oldest vegetables, the oldest recorded pea was cultivated in 9750 BC on the Thai-Burma border. Since snow peas are a favorite addition to Asian dishes, this pea could well have been an ancestor of snow peas.
In the large family of vegetables, the snow pea (pisum sativum macrocarpon) is a flat-podded pea that has pods and seeds that are sweet and edible.
Snow peas are not particularly picky about soil quality, but they do need good drainage. Plant snow pea seeds about 2 inches apart and one to two inches deep. Snow peas do best in full sun, but in an area where the plants receive some shade from midday sun as the season progresses.
Peas are a cool weather crop. Although snow peas do better in higher temperatures than regular peas, for best results you should sow the seeds as soon as the soil can be worked. For best germination, keep the soil moist but be careful not to overwater, as saturated soil will cause the seed to rot. In fact, the biggest problems you face when growing snow peas are root rot and powdery mildew, both of which start in soil that is too wet. However, once the seeds germinate, the plants must be watered regularly for optimum harvest.
Because they are vegetables, there is no need to fertilize snow peas. In fact, vegetables make their own fertilizer and are often grown as cover crops to replace lost nutrients in the soil. Snow peas, however, like most pea varieties, are climbers and do best with the support of a trellis, fence, or pole.
When temperatures reach 70 degrees, the growth rate slows and plants begin to die. Harvest snap peas when the pods are about three inches long but still flat. You will need to use your snow peas soon after harvest, as they quickly lose their sugar content after picking.
