Snap peas grown over winter are ready to harvest (Sugar snap peas harvest start around late March)
How to grow snap peas in chemical free cultivation. The snap peas, which were started in late September last year, are now ready for harvest.
Before harvesting, let’s review how to grow snap peas. From the soil preparation for snap peas in late September last year to thinning and fertilizing in mid-January this year.
How to grow snap peas：a recap (Sugar snap peas grown in open fields)
Soil preparation and planting seeds for snap peas (Grow sugar snap peas from seed)
When to prepare the soil for snap peas?
Soil preparation for snap peas was in late September. Snap peas are a legume, like edamame and broad beans. Legumes usually don’t need fertilizer. As for compost, sometimes we add it, and sometimes we don’t. This year, we didn’t use cow manure compost for growing snap peas.
If you add too much fertilizer during soil preparation, you might think you will get more snap peas at harvest time, but it’s the opposite. Giving too much fertilizer will make the leaves grow too much, and it will be harder for the plants to produce peas, causing a “viney" condition. (Legume vegetables don’t need fertilizer because the bacteria in their roots supply the nutrients.)
https://www.vege-try.net/en/prepare-field-for-snap-peas-2022...When is the planting time for snap peas?
The planting time for snap peas was early November. (November is the best time to plant snap peas.)
The snap peas planted at this time will overwinter, so the planting time is important. If planted too early, they may grow too large and be damaged by the cold winter. If planted too late, the plants may be too small and freeze in the frost.
The ideal height for snap peas to overwinter is about 15cm (6 inches). To reach this size by the overwintering period, the best time to plant the seeds is early November.
Setting up trellises for snap peas and preparing overwintering
The sprouted snap peas are growing well. In early December, I set up trellises for the snap peas and prepared them for overwintering.
The timing for setting up trellises for snap peas varies by year, but it is usually done in December. After setting up the trellises, tie strings to guide the snap pea tendrils.
For snap pea overwintering (cold protection), non-woven fabric is used. The fabric is placed over the guiding twines and fixed with clothespins. In my growing area, the winter isn’t very cold, so one layer of fabric is enough. However, in colder areas, people may use a “lantern style" setup for overwintering.
Snap pea thinning and side dressing with fertilizer (Thinning and additional fertilization for snap peas)
When is the best time to side dress snap peas?
In mid-January, after the new year, I thinned the snap peas and did side dressing. The way to thin snap peas is to leave two plants per hole. If the sowing didn’t go well and only one or two plants sprouted per hole, I leave them as they are without thinning.
How to do side dressing for snap peas?
There are four places for side dressing of snap peas. I use organic fertilizer, chicken manure.
The harvest time for snap peas is between April and May, so the side dressing in January might seem early. However, since the effect of fertilizer is slow in winter, I apply the side dressing early. (If I do the side dressing for snap peas in January, the fertilizer will start working around February, one month later.)
Snap pea harvesting guide (How to pick sugar snap peas)
The harvest time for snap peas is when the beans inside grow big, and the pods become plump. Pick the ones ready to eat one by one. The harvest time for snap peas changes a little each year, but it usually lasts until around the middle of May.
The harvest of snap peas has just started, so more and more will come soon. Snap peas grown in the open field will likely grow more flowers and pods if left alone from here.
Once it reaches this stage, there is no need to add more fertilizer to the snap peas. Snap peas are vegetables that produce many pods without the need for pinching or pruning. Let’s harvest a lot and enjoy the blessings of spring!
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.