The Sugar Snap Pea: From Idaho Fields to Backyard Gardens

Welcome to Everlea Journal's Heirloom Garden Series, where we celebrate the timeless beauty of flowers and vegetables that have graced gardens for generations. Each week, we uncover the stories, history and unique charm of a classic heirloom varieties - from fragrant blooms to heritage vegetables. We also share tips for bringing these vintage treasures into your own cottage garden. Wander through the world of heritage gardens and discover how they can enrich our lives with beauty, history, and purpose beginning with How to Plan a Heritage Garden That Lasts for Years. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting your garden journey, this series invites you to explore the magic of plants that have stood the test of time.

There is something special about the first vegetables of Spring. After the quiet stillness of winter, gardeners begin again with cool-weather crops - simple seeds that grow quickly and reward patience with fresh, crisp flavour. For generations, gardeners have planted peas as one of the first crops of spring, valuing their sweetness, reliability, and ability to grow in cool weather.

The Sugar Snap Pea grew out of this long gardening tradition.

Plant breeder Calvin Lamborn of Idaho spent years experimenting with pea varieties, hoping to create a plant that combined the sweetness of traditional garden peas with the tender edible pods of snow peas. After careful breeding and selection, the new variety was released to the public in 1979.

Gardeners began discovering the new pea through seed catalogs, gardening magazines, and early newspaper articles that introduced it as an exciting addition to the vegetable garden. Burpee Seed Company featured the new Sugar Snap Pea prominently when it debuted and The Washington Post even called it the most exciting vegetable introduction in years. At the time, interest in growing food at home was steadily increasing across North America, and many households were once again planting backyard vegetable gardens.

Once people began growing Sugar Snap Peas, enthusiasm spread quickly. Gardeners appreciated the crisp edible pods, the sweet flavour, and the simple pleasure of harvesting them fresh from the vine. It wasn’t long before the new variety found a place in spring gardens, farmers’ markets, and home kitchens

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Today, sugar snap peas are a familiar sight in garden beds across North America—an example of how thoughtful plant breeding and the enthusiasm of home gardeners can turn a new variety into a lasting garden favourite.

Sugar Snap Peas Planting & Care

Sown in early spring, when the soil is warm and all danger of frost is passed, for summer harvests or in mid-to-late summer for a hearty autumn crop. The cool weather of fall enhances its sweetness, making late-season carrots a gardener's delight.

Sown in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. In many regions, this means sowing seeds several weeks before the last frost.

Planting Method: Direct Sow

Days to Germination: 7 - 14 days

Days to Maturity: 60 - 70 days

Water Needs: moderate

Grows Best In: Full Sun with cool temperatures

Pea Pod Length: 2 1/2 - 3 inches

Companion Planting:

Peas are helpful garden neighbours because they improve soil fertility. Like other legumes, they work with beneficial bacteria to fix nitrogen in the soil, which supports the growth of nearby plants.

They grow well alongside:

• carrots

• lettuce

• radishes

• spinach

• cucumbers

These vegetables share similar growing conditions and benefit from the improved soil.

Plants to Avoid Nearby

It's best to keep peas away from plants in the onion family, such as garlic and leeks, and of course onions themselves. These can sometimes slow pea growth when planted too closely.

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Growing sugar snap peas is a gentle way to begin the gardening year. Their seeds are simple to plant, their vines climb eagerly toward the spring sun, and their harvest arrives early—often when the rest of the garden is still just beginning.

Whether eaten fresh from the vine, added to salads, or lightly sautéed, sugar snap peas remind us that the garden’s first harvests are often the sweetest.

They are a small but meaningful sign that the growing season has begun.

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Here's to homegrown abundance and the simple magic of tending what matters most,

Everlea Journal

If you would like to learn more about another early spring heirloom vegetable covered in this series, read The Danvers Carrot: A Sweet, Sturdy Favourite of Early American Gardens.