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Keep the pot in a room where the temperature stays around 65 F (18 C), and your Chinese peas seeds should germinate in 7-10 days. Place one seed in each pot, cover with soil and water well. Fill the pots with universal soil and use your finger to poke a hole in the middle, about ½ inch deep. Put the peas in a container with room temperature water and let them stay there for at least six hours.Īfter they have been soaked, you can either sow them directly in the garden soil or germinate them indoors.įor indoor germination, we recommend using compostable seed pots. The Chinese snow pea seeds have a tough outer layer, so giving them a good soak overnight can help speed up germination. Getting them started indoors will give your growing season a head start, especially if you live in an area with very cold winters. As a rule of thumb, Chinese snow peas can be planted in your garden when the soil is not frozen and easy to work with.Ĭhinese snow peas can be sowed in the soil directly or germinated indoors. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can simply wait a week or so after the last frost has passed. You can plant Chinese snow peas outdoors as soon as the soil temperature reaches 52 F (11 C). The recommended temperature range for growing snow peas is between 60 and 75 degrees F ( 15 to 24 C). They have a mild tolerance to frost but will struggle to grow during the hot, humid summer months or if temperatures exceed 86 F (30 C). The ideal time for planting snow peas is early spring, which gives them time to grow and produce pea pods before the weather gets too hot. – When to Plant Chinese Snow PeasĬhinese snow peas are a cold-season crop. You can grow it in your garden, or if you’re in a pinch for space, it also grows well in containers. The Chinese snow pea is versatile and easy to care for. The snow pea flowers are small but showy, with vivid pink and purple petals. Nowadays, you can also find bushy hybrids, but the most common varieties produce long vines that can stretch to 3 feet (90 cm). Unlike the common pea, the pods of Chinese snow peas have less fiber in their inner lining, which makes them edible as well as easier to digest.Ĭhinese snow peas are climbing plants. The scientific name for this plant is Pisum sativum var. Snow pea belongs to the Fabaceae family, a group of vegetables commonly known as legumes.
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From there, they spread to China and have become a staple ingredient in many Asian dishes. Often referred to as just snow peas, they are native to Southeastern Europe. Are Chinese pea pods the same as snow peas?Ĭhinese snow peas are a variety of pea-producing soft, edible pods usually harvested before they have fully matured.
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