Permapotes

Snow peas

Snow peas: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Mangetout or snow peas are a type of Pisum sativum, an annual plant in the Fabaceae family. Their culinary appeal comes from the whole pod, tender and usually flat while the enclosed seeds are still small. This distinguishes them from shelling peas, grown mainly for their seeds. The name describes a use of the pod rather than a separate botanical species. Mangetout literally refers to eating the whole edible pod.

The young pod wall lacks the tough inner layer characteristic of shelling pea pods. It forms a thin covering around small developing seeds, with a broader or narrower, longer or shorter outline depending on the cultivar. Sugarsnap peas also have edible pods, but theirs are rounder and fleshier. These two types therefore do not provide exactly the same texture or appearance in a dish, even though both belong to the cultivated pea.

The plant carries flexible stems, compound leaves and tendrils that grip neighbouring structures. Some cultivars remain relatively low, while others have a more climbing habit. Flowers characteristic of legumes appear before the pods. Leaves and tendrils create a light outline, different from the broad foliage of squashes or the dense shape of a cabbage. Stem and pod lengths vary, with no single height applying to every mangetout cultivar.

A young pod has a gentle sweetness and a texture ranging from crisp to tender according to the preparation. As seeds enlarge and the pod develops further, that texture changes. You can find mangetout in sautéed dishes, stir-fries, vegetable accompaniments and salads made with cooked pods. Their whole shape remains visually distinctive, while their mild flavour works with herbs, grains and more aromatic sauces. The pod itself is an important part of the culinary experience.

In the vegetable garden, mangetout make the transition from flowers to pods easy to observe and show another use of peas beyond the seeds alone. They are associated with the relatively cool conditions favoured by peas, rather than guaranteed production in intense summer heat. Their cycle ends with seed development and the ageing of the annual plant. Low-growing and climbing cultivars add varied outlines, without identical promises of earliness or yield.

Snow peas
Snow peas
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
  • Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 2 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 4 cm
  • Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Self-pollinating
  • Propagation : Sowing