For Kids
Peas in general are fast germinating and fast growing which makes them a great indoor container plant or garden plant for kids to grow on their own. The fast germination of these plants are a quick reward for your child’s effort to start their own garden, and the fast growth rate will show them daily progress they can record and enjoy. After transplanting their plants outdoors children can watch their Sugar Snap Peas climb using tendrils, develop variegated leaves, begin to flower with creamy white blooms, and then watch pea pods emerge from the blossoms knowing they will soon be able to pick and eat them. If you have trouble convincing your child to eat greens, then having a garden just for them to take care of may help solve your problem.
For the Garden
Sugar Snap Peas can be started indoors or directly sowed outdoors in fall or spring. Peas that are started too late in fall may survive the winter in zone 9, but they will not put on flowers or fruit until the following spring. I personally find that sowing them outdoors allows them to stay more compact when first growing as opposed to getting leggy when they receive too much water and light when started indoors. I plant all Sugar Snap Peas along a wire fence so that tendrils can grab and climb to support the soft tissue plant as well as the additional weight of the pods when it begins fruiting. Make sure that sugar snap peas receive plenty of light during the day. It is always best to water plants in the morning, so make the effort to water gardens before starting your day. Pick pods when they are about 4 inches in length. If you rarely cook with sugar snap peas, then try them in a stir fry or as a raw snack by themselves or with a vegetable dip.