For me, peas have always been something that you grow because you can. Toss them in the ground in early spring, and you’re guaranteed to get something. Not a lot, but better than nothing.
They’re kind of a garden placeholder. When the weather warms up, you cut them down and plant something better.
But this year is different, and I’m not quite sure why.
I followed the same ritual this year as in the past. I used pea inoculant, and planted the peas on St. Patrick’s day. They came up right on time. Started picking snow peas about a week ago.
But unlike prior years, these peas just won’t quit. Today I spent the better part of an hour picking snow peas, and ended up just shy of two and a half pounds of them. That’s on top of the pound and a half already blanched and frozen. Plus a few handfuls eaten along the way.
That’s from the roughly 14 square feet of garden bed pictured above. Judging from the new blossoms on the plants, they’re nowhere near done yet.
Qualitatively different from prior years. So many peas that I got tired of picking them? Never had that happen before.
The only real difference this year is the variety — Snowbird. In the past, I’ve gone with traditional vine-type peas (e.g., Oregon Sugar Pod, or Sugar Anne snap peas). But this year, I didn’t feel like putting up a trellis for the peas. Snowbird is a dwarf, bush-type snow pea. If you plant thickly enough (and put a few sticks in the ground), the entire pea patch will stand up on its own. As above.
So I’m going to chalk it up to the variety.
I’m sure there are gardeners out there who routinely get this kind of yield out of their peas. But this is a new one on me. Changes the whole way I view them.
Anyway, as my reward for an hour of pea-picking, I’ll get to spend the next hour in the kitchen blanching and freezing vacuum-packs of snow peas.
There are worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon.
