Peas

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Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (75 days) Open-pollinated. 5-6' vines, needs strong staking and frequent picking. 7 peas per pod. read more

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Emerald Archer -

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (65 days) Open-pollinated. Tender tendrils. Afila-type pea, 10 peas per pod. Upright habit makes easy picking; grows to 36-42". read more

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Green Arrow -

Shell Pea Seeds

sold out

Pisum sativum (65 days) Open-pollinated. Standard mid-season variety, preferred by commercial growers for heavy yields and extreme weather tolerance. 3' vines. read more

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Lincoln

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (70 days) Open-pollinated. 3' vines. 3-3.5" slender curved pods. 6-8 peas per pod. Heirloom is easy to shell. read more

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Miragreen -

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (68 days) Open-pollinated. Miragreen’s rich green color is matched only by the flavor of the peas themselves. As a freezer pea it has no equal. Prolific, with an average of 8.3 peas per pod. read more

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Perfection 326

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (66 days) Open-pollinated. Vigorous vines produce 7-8 sweet and meaty peas per pod. Holds color and texture well. read more

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Strike Pea

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (52 days) Open-pollinated. Early shell pea averages 6 dark green peas in 2¾" pods. 2' vines. read more

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Topps

Shell Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (56 days) Open-pollinated. 22-23" vines producing 3½" dark blunt pods. Production concentrated over about a week. read more

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Amish Snap Pea

Seeds

Pisum sativum (62 days) Open-pollinated. Heirloom. 5-6' vines. 3" slender, sweet and tender pods. read more

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Cascadia

Snap Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (65 days) Open-pollinated. 2.5-3' vines. 3" pods. Matures about one week later than Sugar Ann. read more

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Mega -

Snap Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (64 days) Open-pollinated. 3' vines. Slightly curved 4" pods. Sturdy and productive, with delicious flavor. read more

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Sugar Ann -

Snap Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (58 days) Open-pollinated. Earliest snap pea, on 2' vines. Use to start the season, and allow extra space between rows if you do not stake. read more

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Sugar Lode -

Snap Pea Seeds

unavailable, no supply coming

Pisum sativum (65 days) Open-pollinated. Named for its tremendous yields borne on 3' vines. Although the pods are slow to sweeten, they develop a good pea flavor which becomes more sugary as they fill. read more

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Sugar Snap

Snap Pea Seeds

unavailable, no new supply coming

Pisum sativum (68 days) Open-pollinated. Far tastier than dwarf varieties. 5-7' vines, need strong stakes. Pods reach superb sweetness only when completely filled. read more

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Sugar Snap -

Snap Pea Seeds

sold out

Pisum sativum (68 days) Open-pollinated. Far tastier than dwarf varieties. 5-7' vines, need strong stakes. Pods reach superb sweetness only when completely filled. read more

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Tendersweet

Snap Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (65 days) Open-pollinated. Prolific Tendersweet bears 2½–3" dark green and slightly curved snap pods. Has a longer picking window than most quick and short types. read more

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Blizzard

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (61 days) Open-pollinated. Sweet thin 3" pods in concentrated sets on 3½' vines. Puts out a real storm of snow peas. read more

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Blizzard -

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (61 days) Open-pollinated. Sweet thin 3" pods in concentrated sets on 3½' vines. Puts out a real storm of snow peas. read more

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Green Beauty

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (60 days) Open-pollinated. 7-8' vine. 5" long light green pods. High yields. Excellent flavor. Purple flowers. read more

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Mammoth Melting Sugar

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (72 days) Open-pollinated. Heirloom with very heavy yields of 4-5" pods. Vines grow 5-7'. read more

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Oregon Giant

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (60 days) Open-pollinated. 3-4' vine. 4.5" flat rich sweet pods. High yields. Continues producing over a long period. read more

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Oregon Giant -

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (60 days) Open-pollinated. 3-4' vine. 4.5" flat pods. High yields. Continues producing over a long period. read more

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Oregon Sugar Pod II

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (62 days) Open-pollinated. 2-2.5" vine. 4" pods. Good for sandy soils or dry conditions. read more

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Oregon Sugar Pod II -

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (62 days) Open-pollinated. 2-2.5" vine. 4" pods. Good for sandy soils or dry conditions. read more

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Sumo -

Snow Pea Seeds

Pisum sativum (66 days) Open-pollinated. Vines grow 4-5', must be staked. Large, fat light lime-green pods really sweet raw or cooked. Purple flowers. read more

Peas

2 oz packet sows 25 ft; 1 lb, 200 ft. Avg 160 seeds/2 oz pkt.
All peas are open-pollinated.
Days to maturity are from direct seeding.

Culture: Sow as early as ground can be worked for best yields. Minimum soil temperature for pea seed germination: 40°. Optimal range 50–75°. Peas are legumes with moderate fertility requirements. Avoid excess nitrogen: they can fix their own. Use a legume inoculant at planting. They prefer cool, moist weather and dislike dry heat.

All peas produce more when staked; varieties over 2½' must be supported. Use either Trellis Netting or chicken wire. Install support at planting time to avoid disturbing seedlings. Plant 8–10 seeds/ft on each side of supports in double rows. Set supports for rows 3' apart (5' if very tall varieties).

Young plants are very hardy but frost stops production at the blossom or pod stage. If you love peas as much as we do, try for a second crop in the fall. Timing is crucial, as peas ripen slowly in the cool of September, and frost will halt production. We recommend planting the first two weeks of July for a fall crop in central Maine. Warmer areas try later July. If the summer is hot, cool the soil with a hay mulch in advance of planting, or shade peas with tall crops to hold in soil moisture.

Peas are 25% sucrose by weight and lose nearly half their sugars within 6 hours at room temperature. That’s why they taste best grazed right off the vine. Keep cool and shell as soon as possible after picking for freezing.

Not well adapted to southern climates where the spring heats up too quickly. Pam Dawling in Virginia has great success with Sugar Ann but cannot grow the tall longer-season Sugarsnap in her climate. Smooth-seeded peas germinate better in colder soils than wrinkle-seeded peas, but are not as sweet. Dawling suggests that forsythia flowering signals time to sow snap and snow peas.

Saving Seed: Saving pea seed is easy! Leave pods of spring-planted peas on the vine to dry. Hand shell, or stomp pods on a tarp. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate pea varieties by 30 feet.

Diseases:

CTV: Curly Top Virus
PM: Powdery Mildew
DM: Downy Mildew
PPR: Pythium Root rot
F: Fusarium
PSV: Pea Streak Virus
PEMV: Pea Enation Mosaic Virus
W: Common Wilt race 1

Powdery mildew looks like someone sprinkled talcum powder over the vines. It spreads rapidly when picking occurs in hot dry weather. Pick in early morning while the dew is still on the foliage to slow its spread and ensure best flavor. Fusarium causes vines to dry out, yellow, then brown and die. As a preventive, always sow peas on well-drained soil. Fusarium-infested soils are said to be pea sick. Do not save seed from plants afflicted with fusarium, which can be seed-borne. Rotate out of legumes for at least 4 years. Brassicas, especially mustards, are good disease-suppressant successions.

Off-types in peas continue to be a problem across the industry. Over the past several years we have eliminated some old favorites that got beyond the bounds of what is acceptable and added several more reliable varieties. We’ll keep working at it!