General information and discussion about cultivating beans, peas, peanuts, clover and vetch.
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December 1, 2012 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: SW Pennsylvania, zone 6a
Posts: 147
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Favorite dwarf sugar snap pea varieties
I have grown sugar snap and super sugar snap peas for a long time and they are great. But I have one big problem with them....they blow over and break no matter what I do it seems. I grow them up a 6 foot+ fence.
So I have been wanting to give dwarf snap peas a try to see if that works out better. A few years back I tried Cascadia peas. They were organic seeds that were untreated and the mice here ate all of them but one or two plants out of about a pound of pea seeds planted. So I really did not get to try them out. I never had that problem with the sugar snap peas because they were treated with fungicide so the mice would not eat them. I garden organically except for the fungicide...it's sort of a necessity. I have a neighbor close by that lives nearby that lives in a total mess of a place and so there is a rodent problem here and I can't do anything but deal with it I guess. So finding a dwarf sugar snap pea that also is treated with fungicide would be a big help. Just wondering what varieties everyone likes? Thanks Jim |
December 1, 2012 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
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We tried Sugar Lace II a couple of years ago and trialed it against all the tall ones we could find locally and liked it better than all the rest- and it has no strings!In our garden it reached about 3' but I think it's supposed to be shorter than that (20-24"?). They say you don't need to give it a trellis but we give it support anyway. I've only gotten untreated seed- not sure who might sell it treated.
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December 2, 2012 | #3 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 313
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Ditto on the recommendation for "Sugar Lace II". The dwarf vines don't need support, and the peas are wide, sweet, and succulent. DV Burrell is a good source for bulk quantities, their prices are good, and they have free shipping for quantities under a pound.
But if the mice are as much of a problem as you say, Uno, then dwarf peas may be the last thing you need. If the pods are closer to the ground, then the same mice which decimated your seeds will likely get the pods too. What you probably need to do is to control the mice, or discourage them from eating the seeds. I would suggest predator urine, a hot sauce spray, or the use of DE over the row. Apply this after planting, and to protect the young seedlings. If deterrents don't work, some good old-fashioned mouse traps might slow the onslaught enough to give the seeds a chance. Getting a cat or two would be helpful too. Quote:
Good luck! |
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December 2, 2012 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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I grew Alaska a few years ago as an English pea. Nice early dwarf pea.
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December 2, 2012 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,931
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'sugar sprint' is an edible pod snap pea that does well for me. only grows approx 18" tall. early.Can even be grown in pots with success.
as for the mice, I think traps are likely the best answer for control. enjoy your gardening! KO |
December 3, 2012 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
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Sugar Sprint is our second favorite snap pea but I think the height might vary depending upon your soil and conditions because it got quite a bit taller than 18" when we grew it. The seeds were from Johnny's as I recall.
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December 3, 2012 | #7 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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Quote:
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December 3, 2012 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,931
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http://mckenzieseeds.com/product_det...oductID=101520
Hi again, very true that soil and other conditions would affect the growth and performance. These are a bush variety vs a tall vine though and the seeds I use are from this Canadian seed company. Johnny's catalogue says it grows to 24 inches Mckenzie says 18 inches. Similar enough I suppose meaning that they are not 6 feet tall as are others. They still benefit from support though. I use a short fence made of chicken wire and stakes planting a row of pea seed down each side. Last edited by KarenO; December 3, 2012 at 01:38 PM. Reason: better link |
December 3, 2012 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
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Anyone ever try a Florida weave on peas? I mean go ahead and do the panels, but throw a weave around the outside?
I never tried it, but seems like it should work. My peas here in OK it isn't an issue because they die from the heat WAY before they get that tall.
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
December 3, 2012 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: zone 6b, PA
Posts: 5,664
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Yes, we use metal t-posts spaced about 5' apart and attach metal fencing that's 4'tall for the vines to climb. When the vines reach between 18-24" and begin to billow, we weave jute from post to post, pulling every other section of peas close to the fence. When the end of the row is reached, we weave back toward the beginning post, wrapping every other section of peas as we go. This needs to be repeated whenever the vines begin to move too far from the fencing. The jute stretches a bit when it gets wet, so it's important to pull it tightly when weaving. If you don't wrap the peas, they'll meet up with the vines in the adjacent rows, attach themselves to one another, and you'll lose your pathway and ability to harvest.
Last edited by kath; December 3, 2012 at 04:28 PM. |
December 4, 2012 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: CT
Posts: 219
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Cascadia yields heavily with pea pods that are solid heavy sweet and crunchy.
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December 6, 2012 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: SW Pennsylvania, zone 6a
Posts: 147
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Thanks Kath, Zeedman, Tracydr,KarenO, Ddsack, Redbarn, and Swamper!
You gave me some varieties to try this upcoming season. The sugar snap and super sugar snaps are a great variety...it's just supporting them that I got sick of. The rodents I have here (the mice anyway the chipmunks are a different story!) seem to be only interested in seeds. Once the plant grows they seem to move on to other things. Jim |
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