Alderman (Tall Telephone) Exceptional flavour is well worth the 2-2.5m (6-8') tall trellis these need. Alderman shelling pea seeds produce huge pods with eight or nine peas each over a long harvest window. The pods are easy to pick and shell. Check a few to see if they are filled before picking the whole crop. Alderman is an old heirloom variety, selected from the Duke of Albany pea strain. This noble pea has been grown in country gardens since 1891, and is known in many seed catalogues as Tall Telephone, Improved Telephone, or Rondo o Alderman. This variety is not enation resistant, so it's a great choice for earlier planting in February and March on the coast. Away from the coast, enation is not as serious a problem. Alderman is an excellent choice for canning and quick freezing, or just picking out of the pod right in the garden. Matures in 70-78 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Dwarf Grey Sugar Dwarf Grey Sugar snow pea seeds produce the earliest and most dwarf edible pods of all. The prolific, bushy vines grow to 1.5m (5') tall, and benefit from staking. Very attractive sweet pea-like flowers are followed by clusters of flat, fleshy, curved, semi-pointed pods. These are light green and average 6-8cm (2.5-3"), appearing at the tops of the plants for easy picking. This old heirloom variety was listed once as Dwarf Gray Sugar Cabbage Pea, and has been in production since before 1773. Dwarf Grey Sugar snow pea seeds were first sold commercially in 1892 by D.M Ferry and Company. This is one of the best choices for growing pea shoots and pea tips. Matures in 66 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Oregon Sugar Pod 2 Developed at Oregon State University back in the 1980s, Oregon Sugar Pod II snow pea seeds have been a reliable go-to variety for coastal gardeners ever since. Expect heavy yields of tasty, smooth, light-green, stringless pods that are ready to harvest as long as 10cm (4") on non-climbing, dwarf plants that grow only 75cm (30") tall. But the glory of Oregon Sugar Pod II is its incredible disease resistance. It has good resistance to the Pea Mosaic Enation Virus, Fusarium Wilt, and powdery mildew, and that makes it ideal for fall harvest. Sow as late as July and mid-August, and be ready to harvest after all other peas have long since finished. Matures in 56 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Bolero Pairs of 8cm (3") long pods containing seven to nine peas each are borne atop bushy plants that grow to 75cm (30") tall. The fat peas are sweet and perfect for fresh eating or freezing. Bolero shelling pea seeds produce strong plants with one of the best disease tolerance packages of all, making it ideal for markets and processors. High resistance to Pythium and Fusarium race 1. Bolero is not enation-resistant. For coastal gardeners that means it's a good choice for early spring planting so that it matures before the pea enation virus generally shows up in mid- to late summer. Matures in 68 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Little Marvel This super-early HEIRLOOM bush pea has been a favorite both for home gardeners and commercial growers. Stocky, semi-dwarf bushes from 30-45cm (12-18") tall are well suited to container growing for balcony gardens, or in the vegetable bed. In containers, Little Marvel shelling pea seeds can be grown in spring, and cut back in time for a summer crop, leaving the soil enriched with nitrogen. Each of the 8-10cm (3-4") pods contain 6-7 mid-green, tasty peas. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Resistant to Fusarium wilt.
Little Marvel shelling pea seeds were first introduced as Sutton's Little Marvel in 1900. It is an old, dependable variety with an extended season, fine quality, and heavy yields. Matures in 62 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Oregon Giant snow pea seeds produce plants with unusually large, broad 13cm (5") long pods are thick and very sweet. They are most tender when peas begin to form but remain so up to the very largest sizes. Plants stay short at only 1.2m (4'). This variety is very resistant to pea enation virus and powdery mildew, which makes it a good candidate for late sowing and summer/fall harvest. Sow as late as July, and enjoy a second fall crop. Enation virus is a serious problem for peas in our region, so if you're planting peas after April first, choose enation-resistant varieties only. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Matures in 70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Super Sugar This is an improved Sugar Snap variety. The 8cm (3") long, fat, dark-green pods are the sweetest of our snap peas. The crunchy pods are excellent for eating cooked or raw. Super Sugar snap pea seeds produce vigorous climbing vines that should be trellised, and will easily grow 2m (6') or more in good soil. Although Super Sugar Snap is not resistant to the enation virus that sometimes spreads in coastal gardens by mid-summer, it is an excellent candidate for earlier sowing - as early as February in a mild spring. Enjoy the trouble free, easy-to-harvest peas in June and July. Matures in 62-70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Sugar Ann Extra early, incredibly sweet snap peas on short, 60cm (2') vines that don't require trellising. Sugar Ann snap pea seeds are an excellent choice for smaller garden spaces. The bushy plants produce crisp, tasty, 6cm (2") pods, and have excellent resistance to pea enation virus and powdery mildew. Sugar Ann was the 1984 AAS Winner, and also received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. It has been a stand-by snap pea for West Coast Seeds for decades. If you're short on space, this is the pea for you - they can even be grown in larger containers. Matures in 56 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Sugar Daddy A very productive, 60-75cm (24-30") bushy plant that benefits from some support, Sugar Daddy snap pea seeds produce pods that become uniquely stringless, 8cm (3") snap peas. They grow in pairs near the top of the plant for easy picking. This variety has good disease resistance, but not to the enation virus that sometimes spreads in mid-summer. That means Sugar Daddy is perfect for those early spring plantings, when the soil is still cool and wet - for early summer harvests of delicious snap peas. Matures in 68 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Cascadia This delicious snap pea was developed just for the West Coast. Cascadia snap pea seeds produce vines that do not need a trellis but tumble about (try putting some twigs in to support them), growing to approximately 60cm (24") overall. The dark green pods are a nice 9cm (3.5") long and are crunchy, juicy, and sweet. Cascadia peas are resistant to the enation virus and powdery mildew, so they are good candidates for later sowings and fall harvest here on the coast. Sow as late as July and early August, and you may get a crop as late as October. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Matures in 67 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Green Arrow shelling pea seeds. These are excellent for fresh eating, freezing, canning, or cooking. Born in pairs at the top of the short bush are heavy yields of dark green pods to 11cm (4.5") containing 9 to 11 peas each. The peas themselves are tender and sweet and the 70cm (28") plants are resistant to enation, Fusarium wilt, root rot, Leaf Curl virus (LCV), and downy mildew, so they are ideal for coastal gardens.
Green Arrow shelling pea seeds were first bred in England as a main season pea crop, and are listed in some UK sources as Green Shaft. Matures in 62-70 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
Avalanche A great substitute for Mammoth Melting peas, Avalanche snow pea seeds grow into 15cm (6") pods that are sweet and tender. Plants are "semi-leafless" so they put more energy into producing pods, making for higher yields of snow peas. Plant two to three rows close together and plants will intertwine, providing support for each other. Expect a height of 90cm (36"). Avalanche is resistant to Fusarium Wilt race 1 and powdery mildew. Plant this reliable snow pea from spring to mid-summer in rich, fertile soil. Matures in 60 days. (Open-pollinated seeds)
