Amish Snap Pea New · Sep 2026

Amish Snap and Golden Sweet peas go into Luke's Decatur garden twice a year, a late-summer sowing for a fall crop and a Feb-to-early-March sowing for a spring crop, climbing a trellis by tendrils through cool weather, offering pea shoots as an early bonus harvest, cropping pods for several weeks, and finishing either at hard frost in fall or as heat shuts vines down in late spring.

1. 1

   Fall Direct Sowing

   Zone 8a fall window: late summer to early fall, roughly late August through September, about 10-12 weeks before the first hard frost (~Nov 12).

   You'll see A prepared bed or grow bag with pea seed pressed about 1 inch deep, spaced 2-3 inches apart along a trellis line.

   Do Direct-sow seed for a fall crop while soil is still warm, watering carefully since fall sowing often means germinating in leftover summer heat.

   Details
2. 2

   Late Winter Direct Sowing

   Zone 8a spring window: mid-February through early March, about 4-6 weeks before the last frost (~Mar 28).

   You'll see Bare, cool soil with seed sown at the same depth and spacing as the fall crop.

   Do Direct-sow as soon as soil can be worked in mid-to-late winter; do not wait for the last frost date, since peas are cold-hardy and germinate fine in cool soil.

   Details
3. 3

   Seedling

   Days 7-14 after either sowing, depending on soil temperature.

   You'll see A pair of thick seed leaves gives way to the first true compound leaves with small leaflets and a thin, curling tendril at the tip.

   Do Keep the trellis or netting close at hand; young tendrils start reaching for support almost as soon as the first true leaves appear.

   Details
4. 4

   Vining and Trellising

   Weeks 3-6 after sowing.

   You'll see A climbing vine with compound leaves ending in branched, wiry tendrils that coil tightly around any thin support they touch, pulling the plant upward.

   Do Guide young vines onto the trellis or netting as needed; tendrils do most of the climbing work on their own once they find something to grip.

   Details
5. 5

   Pea Shoot Harvest

   Any time vines are 8-12 inches tall or more, taken sparingly alongside other growth.

   You'll see Tender young growing tips 2-6 inches long with 2-4 pairs of small leaves, a curling tendril, and sometimes an unopened flower bud at the very end.

   Do Snip a few growing tips per plant with scissors or garden snips for a fresh, pea-flavored green, taking care not to strip so many tips that the vine's climbing and flowering are set back.

   Details
6. 6

   Flowering

   Roughly 30-45 days after sowing, varying with temperature.

   You'll see Amish Snap produces white flowers typical of a Butterpea-type snap pea; Golden Sweet produces showy bicolor purple-and-white blooms typical of many colorful snow pea varieties, both appearing in leaf axils along the vine.

   Do No pollination help needed. Protect open flowers from hard freezes if a late cold snap threatens during fall or late-winter flowering.

   Details
7. 7

   Pod Harvest

   Roughly 60-70 days after sowing, continuing for several weeks.

   You'll see Golden Sweet forms flat, bright yellow snow pea pods harvested while still flat before the peas inside swell; Amish Snap forms plump, translucent green snap pea pods harvested once the peas inside have filled out but the pod is still tender and sweet.

   Do Pick Golden Sweet pods while still flat for classic snow pea texture; pick Amish Snap pods once rounded and full but before they toughen. Harvest both every 1-2 days to keep vines producing.

   Details
8. 8

   Seed Saving

   Late in a planting's life, leaving a few pods on the vine to dry fully rather than picking them for eating.

   You'll see Chosen pods left on the vine swell, then dry and fade to tan or brown, becoming papery and rattly with hardened peas inside.

   Do Let selected pods dry completely on the vine, then pick, shell, and finish drying the peas indoors before storing.

   Details
9. 9

   End of Season

   Fall crop: killed by hard frost, typically around Nov 12. Spring crop: shuts down as temperatures rise into the 80s, typically late May to June.

   You'll see Fall vines blacken and collapse within a day or two of a hard freeze. Spring vines yellow, stop flowering, and pods toughen quickly as heat sets in.

   Do Pull spent vines after frost (fall crop) or once heat has clearly ended production (spring crop), leaving root nodules in the soil, and clear the trellis for its next use.

   Details

Techniques — transplant, prune, propagate, divide, seed