Dwarf Sugar Pea Seeds - (Pisum sativum)

Dwarf Sugar Pea - Colorful Blossoms

One of the earliest, dwarf edible sugar pod peas around. Popular for the colorful blossoms, shoots and leaves as well as its prolific crop of curved small snow pea pods that average 2 1/2 to 3" long. Plants are short – 28 to 36" tall and very often don’t need staking, making this an excellent choice for a smaller or container garden. The flowers are very attractive and resemble sweet peas with clusters of flat, fleshy, curved, semi-pointed pods growing at the tops of the plants for easy picking. Fusarium wilt resistant.

This very old heirloom sugar pea dates to before 1773 and was likely described as the Early Dwarf Dutch Sugar pea in Fearing Burr’s book “Field and Garden Vegetables of North America”, published in 1863.

The blossoms brighten up salads with their color and mild, pea-like flavor. Shoots and leaves add color and interest to an early spring salad mix or in micro-greens mixes. The peas are also steamed, stir-fried or added to soups. The young pea shoots and leaves are attractive and delicious when stir-fried with garlic.

History

Heirloom peas or garden peas originated in middle Asia, from northwest India through Afghanistan and adjacent areas. A second area of development lies in the Near East, and a third includes the plateau and mountains of Ethiopia. 

Heirloom peas were one of the most widely grown vegetables of northern Europe during the Middle ages, as their description and cultivation was evident in almost every early gardening or agricultural book of any language in middle and northern Europe. 

Uses

Green peas are used fresh, cooked, frozen or canned. Dry peas are cooked whole or split.

Growing Tip

The most important thing to know about growing peas is that they cannot stand hot weather.  If you live in a warm climate, fall and even winter planting can be fine. Some southern gardeners sow in fall and let the seeds lie dormant in winter so that they can sprout as early as possible in the spring in order to beat the heat. Remember peas can be planted in early spring and be one of your first crops producing.

Learn More

• The History of Heirloom Peas
• Heirloom Peas: Sugar, Snap and Snow

From the soil to the seed to the food you eat - we'll help you grow your best garden!