I’m fairly certain that if you were to take a poll among people who generally like vegetables, asking “What’s your favorite veggie?”, almost no one would say, “snow peas”. I’m not basing this on any kind of scientific study but simply on the response I get from customers when I mention them. People who buy Veggie Cages for the first time often ask, “What else can I grow on a Veggie Cage?” Ooh, so glad you asked! Presentation is everything, so I like to set them up for the big finish by starting my list with the more mundane veggies, the ones that you can get even in the most boring of grocery stores. “Well,” I’ll start out, carefully modulating my voice so as not to tip them off to what’s coming, “you can grow cucumbers, beans, midget varieties of cantaloupe lots of different kinds of climbing flowering vines” (some of which are edible, by the way) “peas” (Getting closer…) “and my very favorite,” (Here it comes…wait for it…) “snow peas!”
This is the point at which there is almost always the same bewildering lack of audible delight on the other end. “Hello,” I want to say, “did you hear me? I said snow peas!”
Hmmm…is it possible that some people aren’t completely sure what a snow pea is? Or have they just never experienced the wonderment of biting into one – slightly undercooked or raw, with a little bit of resistance to the teeth, and that sweet, sweet flavor that’s so good you can just stand in your garden and eat them as you pick. Whether you call them sugar snap peas or edible pod peas (which doesn’t sound nearly as exotic as “snow peas”), they are one of the easiest veggies to grow, with seemingly no attraction for garden pests and not prone to disease.
So for those of you who are open to the notion of falling head-over-heels with a vegetable that you may have never before considered your type, or for those of you who love them but have never tried growing your own, here’s a little pictorial for you on how to set up your garden for a rich man’s bounty of pricey sweet goodness (about $3.00/lb. at Walmart!) for a $.97 packet of seeds. I give you: How to Grow Snow Peas On a Veggie Cage. Ta daaa!
After you’ve prepared your bed, you’ll want to install your Veggie Cage on whatever type of stake you want to use. This is a chance to use those shorter stakes that have broken or were just short to begin with, because even the taller varieties of snow peas don’t get as tall or heavy as most tomato plants do. But they should be at least, say, 4’ to 5’ tall. Attach the clamp to the stake, push in the pointed end to keep it firmly anchored, and sow your seeds all around inside and even outside the bottom ring of the Veggie Cage.
And if you’re using a shorter stake for this, your Veggie Cage won’t extend to its full length, and you may then have 2 rings on the ground, rather than just the bottommost ring. That won’t hurt a thing. Now you’re ready to sow your peas.
Notice that I’ve sown the peas a little thickly. That’s O.K., peas don’t mind being a little bit abundant; it allows them to use not only the Veggie Cage to climb but each other. Sow your seeds all inside the bottom ring and outside as well, keeping the seeds within an inch or 2 from the outer perimeter of the bottom ring, so that the emerging pea seedlings will be able to reach the Veggie Cage and grab on.
Notice in this photo the snow peas do not reach up the entire length of the Veggie Cages. At this stage, the plants are not yet full grown and just starting to get the white flower buds that will eventually be lovely, hanging snow peas. They may or may not ever reach the full height to which I’ve pulled up my Veggie Cages. If they don’t, then I’ll know next year, if I grow the same variety, I can leave my Veggie Cages down a little lower.
So they’re off and climbing! All that’s left for you to do at this point is to keep a little watch to be sure no stem gets left behind and doesn’t climb, then get ready with a nice bowl for picking. You’re going to need one.
Tomorrow we’ll talk about the different types of garden stakes available. Which one is best for you?
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER TO WIN VEGGIE CAGES and TOMATO RINGS!
Our contest continues until the end of this week. Know someone who likes to garden? Follow us on Twitter @veggiecagellc, then re-Tweet our contest Tweet, and we’ll enter you into a drawing!
Grand Prize: 15 Veggie Cages and 30 Tomato Rings
Second Prize: 8 Veggie Cages and 15 Tomato Rings
The contest ends at midnight Friday, April 19th, so Tweet-Tweet-Tweet!
.
Inside the Garden Gate 