I sow snow peas in summer too. You can do it on your balcony or patio if you want!

Few things feel as summery as harvesting your own snow peas. The delicious pods are a great snack on the go, but the cooked ones taste wonderful too. Don't sweat it if you haven't been able to sow snow peas in your garden yet though. June is actually the perfect time to do it!

Make sure to get proper snow pea seeds from the garden center and don't use peas from the pantry. You should also try to do a little research to find the right variety for you. There are plenty of them out there, after all. Snow pea seeds are available in most garden centers and online stores.

Do you want a low-growing or a tall variety? Perhaps with white and pink flowers or green, purple or yellow pods? There are so many options out there!

Read more: Growing snow peas in pots

This variety is called Spring Blush, one of my favorites when I want to grow snow peas in summer. I sowed it in a raised bed.

Where to sow?

It's very easy to succeed with snow peas. The peas usually grow really nicely as long as they have something to climb on (the taller varieties) and get plenty of water.

You sow the snow peas in a row, around 2 inches (5 cm) apart in little clusters of 1-3 peas. This way, you really get to utilize the space properly. Put the soil back on top and water generously. If the soil is very dry when you start sowing you can always water the row already before planting the peas. This is actually a great way to dampen the soil before sowing.

Another great option is to sow the snow peas in a circle and stake the plants.

More about peas: Harvest snow peas often

You can put the snow peas in the back of your raised bed since they grow quite tall and can shade your other plants. The snow peas are shown here on the right side.

Grow in pots

If you want to grow snow peas in pots, I would choose a large pot and use a good potting soil. Put a plant stake in the middle already from the beginning. Use the same method as mentioned above to sow the seeds, preferably a little cluster of them in the same spot.

Make sure to water your sowing! The plants can dry out quite quickly in a pot. Snow peas are thirsty and lose their vitality fast if you let them go without water.

I'm growing snow peas in large pots here in the greenhouse, a sowing a did during summer.

Start seeds in troughs

At this point in time, you might not have that much space left in your beds outside. But don't worry, you can still start growing snow peas in little pots and then plant the seedlings later. For example in toilet paper rolls, homemade newspaper pots, plug trays or some other smaller container. Put 1-3 seeds in each pot and then plant the seedlings in any empty spots in your beds outside.

You can put the sowing outdoors in half-shade, somewhere sheltered. This will keep your seedlings from drying out, which they might if you put them in a greenhouse or in full sunlight.

Remember:

• pick a variety that works for your spot
• there are plenty of fun low-growing varieties to pick from
• you need to stake taller plants
• the entire plant is edible, so you can harvest with children if you want to

Snow peas live and thrive during a part of the season, but the longevity isn't that great of course. So if you want to be able to harvest lovely peas all summer long, then I really recommend sowing yet another time. You can sow your snow peas a few weeks apart, so that you always have new ones to harvest. I grow my vegetables in southern Sweden (zone 3) and even I can keep growing snow peas in August. These sowings can be harvested in late September and early October. I get an even longer harvesting period if I grow my snow peas in the greenhouse.

You don't need any fancy stakes for your snow peas. These sticks work just as well in a raised bed or some other type of growing frame.

More about snow peas/sugar snap peas:

Grow sugar snap peas in pots
Guide: Grow pea shoots indoors
Fried sugar snap peas
My summery green peas
How to grow pea sprouts in a box

Good luck growing snow peas in summer!
/Sara Bäckmo