When can I realistically sow peas?

[lyndap]

My pea plants never get any bigger than 5inchs tall these days....not mice eating them...its myself,little grandaughter and my daughter.Havent got enough growing space so we eat them all year round as peashoots!(someone on the vine said how to do this and weve been hooked ever since)

[mothhawk]

Three questions about peas -
first, when does everyone (if anyone does!) direct sow sugar snap peas outside,

second, has anyone tried growing the pea in the quote below?

third, it's a snow pea - what is a snow pea?

The name of the peas I sowed is 'Carouby De Maussane', They are a 19th century French variety & grow 6ft tall, they have violet flowers & pods & can be used for mangetout as well as peas, they are suppoesed to be very sweet.

I checked mine yesterday after temperatures of -7 here this week and they fine, still growing & no frost damage.

[johnjohn]

Q3- a snow pea is a a flat bodied mangetout as opposed to a sugar snap which has a round body. Both eaten whole.

[Thelma Sanders]

I sow Sugar snaps in April, they seem to germinate a bit easier if sown later than 'normal' peas, which I sow in March.
Carouby de Maussane is a flat-pod eat-all pea, picked before the pod gets bumpy. They look quite pretty, and grow about 5ft high - well they do here



just noticed the quote says they're violet podded - mine were lavender/pink coloured flowers but green pods.

[johnjohn]

Three questions about peas -
first, when does everyone (if anyone does!) direct sow sugar snap peas outside,

Last year I sowed into modules at the end of April and beginning of May and then I sow a row or two of seed when the plants go into the ground for a succession.

[mothhawk]

April it is then, thanks. I've never grown sugar snaps before, but as I have so little room I decided to go for a pea that will give more food per plant than regular peas.

just noticed the quote says they're violet podded - mine were lavender/pink coloured flowers but green pods.

I suspect that's a typo on the OP's part and it should read "they have violet flowers, & pods can be used..."

Maybe I'll try some, if the flavour's good. I often wonder about varieties that have dropped out of fashion, because there must be a reason for it, either a faff to grow, or pest prone, or no flavour. Still no try, no knowledge, as my grandad used to say.

[mothhawk]

Q3- a snow pea is a a flat bodied mangetout as opposed to a sugar snap which has a round body. Both eaten whole.

Ah, thanks JJ. I wondered if it meant it was winter hardy or something. Bit like broccoli and calabrese then.

Snow pea sounds much nicer than mangetout, even if it's less descriptive