Organic Mammoth Melting Snow Pea Seeds

Mammoth Melting Snow Peas are the best! Plants produce prolific sweet and tender 5 inch pods. Appropriate for CSA and commercial farms as well as backyard gardening. Pods are uniform and tender, and the plant is resistant to wilt. Like all peas, they should be grown in the cool season and up a trellis or support system. Plant in fall or early spring in Southern California and warm climates.

Planting by Zones

Zones 9-10

• Peas are a cool-season crop in Zones 9 and 10. You can plant them in the fall through late spring.

Zones 2-8

• Direct sow in early spring when the threat of frost is gone, and you can work the soil.

Planting Snow Pea Seeds

• In Zones 9 and 10, you can direct seed peas in full sun or transplant them out. Because of our incredibly hot fall season, we often plant the peas in starter trays to protect them from the heat and Santa Ana winds. We transplant them out under the protection of shade cloth into deeply irrigated soils.
• To direct sow, plant seeds in debris-free, well-worked soil that has been deeply watered. Cover with 1/2″ of finely sifted soil.
• If you are planting seeds in starter pots, plant seeds into thoroughly moist high-quality seed starting soil. Place seeds on the top of the soil and cover with 1/2″ of finely sifted soil.
• Once your pea seeds have germinated and are 1-2″ tall, fertilize with an organic liquid fertilizer. When the plants are 3-4″ tall, you can plant them out into the garden.
• Space plants at least 6″ apart.

Growing Snow Peas

• Peas are easy to grow once you get them established!
• Mulching heavily around your peas will help with weed suppression and moisture retention.

Harvesting Peas

• If you are growing a sugar snap or snow pea variety where the pod is consumed, harvest them while the pod is tender before the peas inside have formed.
• If you are growing shelling peas, let the peas inside the pod fully swell before picking.

Growing Peas in Containers

• Peas are an excellent plant for growing in containers. You can grow peas in a container but make sure your container is at least 20″ deep and the peas have something to grow up. Keep in mind containers will dry out faster because they have more surface area and less soil to hold onto moisture. Mulch heavily on the top layer of soil in the pot to keep the soil from drying out or heating up too much.

Southern California Pro-tips

• Protecting peas from heat spells or hot weather is critical. Use shade cloth when necessary.
• Mulch heavily around your plants to ensure the soil does not dry out or heat up.
• When planting peas in the fall, aphids can be an issue due to the heat. Rinse off any aphids you see until the soil cools.

Companion Flowers/Crops

• Peas are a beautiful plant and can be grown on a trellis with other blooming ornamentals like our sweet pea flowers. Sweet peas do not have edible pods but do look lovely with edible peas. At the base of the pea plant, we like to plant alyssum because it is low growing and so cute!
• Grow a variety of peas in the garden. Try our Sugar Snap Peas, Mammoth Melting Peas, and Green Arrow Shelling peas.

Additional Learning Resources

• New to starting crops from seeds? Please watch our Seed Starting Presentation to learn the basics!
• Learn about growing all our crops on our YouTube page!
• Having pest issues? Check out in-depth information for pests that can be an issue to peas at the UC Integrated Pest Management site.