Is There A Difference Between Sweet Peas And Green Peas?

on September 26, 2022

Peas is an extremely popular vegetable that was once a staple of the English diet before the introduction of potatoes, however, if you are unfamiliar with peas you may be wondering if there is a difference between sweet peas and green peas.

Sweet peas and green peas are distinctly different species of plants that are both widely grown. Sweet peas are ornamental plants that are an extremely popular annual plant that is generally grown for their flowers whereas green peas are typically found in a vegetable garden and are primarily grown for eating though these plants also produce flowers as well.

There are a number of similarities between these plants due to the fact that they both come from the same plant family. Both plants are climbers that have their own tendrils that allow the plants to climb up a support structure to a limited degree, however, in most cases when the plants get too tall and heavy, they tend to fall over and therefore require extra support.

Additionally, both plants produce pods of seeds that are of a similar shape, however, sweet peas tend to have a dark-colored seed that is inedible whereas most edible peas have a green seed.

The pods themselves which contain the seeds are also significantly different in appearance as sweet peas tend to produce a smaller pod that has hairs on the surface of the pod whereas edible peas tend to have pods that are relatively smooth.

Are There Different Types Of Green Peas?

There are many different varieties of green peas are available, however, they can generally be split up into two groups shelling peas and those peas with edible pods which include things like sugar snap peas and snow peas.

Shelling peas generally have relatively stringy outer shells which means the peas need to be removed from the shells in order to be eaten. My personal opinion about these particular types of peas is that they are not really worth growing at home in your own garden simply because they are extremely time-consuming to shell.

I prefer to grow sugar snap or snow peas because they will provide you with that fantastic sweet flavor that you cannot get from purchased peas even those ones that have been purchased from the fresh section of the grocery store and they don’t require shelling.

The reason for this is because peas contain sugars that will naturally convert to starch once they are picked which means that peas are at the very sweetest when eaten directly from the vine. However, the flavor deteriorates over time so the ones you eat from the grocery store have significantly less flavor.

Are There Many Different Varieties Of Sweet Peas?

There is an incredibly large number of different varieties of sweet peas that are available on the market for purchasing. Typically most of these varieties are highly fragrant and produce brightly colored flowers which will vary in color widely. Colors include whites, pastels, yellow, red, pink, and purple.

A wide range of the most popular varieties can be found on the gardenia.net website because they have an excellent database that provides a great deal of information on the different varieties and their characteristics.

However, as a general rule, sweet peas can be grown in a wide range of environments from Zone 2 to 11 as they are annual plants. The vast majority of these varieties will typically reach a height of between 5 and 6 feet and most varieties will flower from late spring onward though this may vary depending on the specific variety because there are early and late varieties of sweet peas.

How To Grow Peas

Even though sweet peas and green peas are distinctly different species the methods that are used to grow these plants is very much the same except for the timing of some of the sowings that are done during the year.

Generally, both plants will have a sowing that occurs somewhere from late winter to early-spring, however, green peas often also have an additional 1 or 2 sowings depending upon the specific climate that you live in. The second sowing that most gardeners put in is typically in late summer as this allows peas to be harvested in late autumn, however, if you live in a region that has mild winters then a third sowing can be done early to mid-autumn.

This sowing is beneficial because the plants can continue growing through the winter and will produce an early harvest in the spring.

Peas can be sown directly into the garden without a problem, however, many people still plant them in seed trays because it allows you to get the plants going earlier in the season when the weather is still relatively cool.

If you are planting into seed trays it is best to start by filling up the seed trays with good quality seed raising mix and then firming the soil into the individual cells within the seed tray as that will make it easier to transplant the seedlings later on.

Once the soil is in the position it is best to plant 2 to 3 seeds per cell at a depth of approximately half an inch and then ensure that the soil remains moist throughout the period in which the plants remain in the seed tray.

Typically, the seeds will take approximately 7 to 10 days to germinate depending upon the specific temperatures that the plants are grown. The seedlings will develop relatively quickly compared to other vegetables and plants and will reach a height of around 3 to 4 inches within a period of around 4 weeks at which point they will be ready to plant out into the garden.

When transplanting the seedlings into the garden they should ideally be planted at least an inch or two apart if they are green peas. For sweet peas, most people plant them at the base of support so that you have one plant traveling up a support structure.

If you are sowing directly it is best to plant 2 to 3 seeds at the base of the support structure and then select the highest quality seedling that appears and remove the other two. However, in the case of green peas, it is recommended that you plant the seeds in a straight line by creating a furrow and then sprinkle the seeds in liberally ensuring that there is at least one seed every inch or so.

The peas will generally get tall relatively quickly and they do have their own tendrils which will help to some degree to keep them attached to the support structure. However, to keep them upright additional support is required.

In the case of sweet peas, it is common for people to use string to tie them to a frame above the ground with the other end put into the ground below the plant. The stems can then be wound around the string to help keep them upright.

However, if you are growing green peas most people tend to have a long trellis that supports the plants. String is commonly tied horizontally across the front of the plants to push them toward the support structure as it is quicker than and easier than tying the plants up individually.

Once the plants become mature they will begin to start to produce flowers and in the case of sweet peas, it is important to continually pick the flowers as this will encourage them to continue to flower on an ongoing basis.

In the case of green peas, the pods will start to appear once the flowers begin to fade, however, again it is important to ensure that you regularly pick the pea pods as they appear to encourage them to continue to produce on an ongoing basis.

Green peas will typically continue to produce flowers until such time as it gets too hot and the temperature starts to rise above 85F consistently or below around 40F when you are approaching winter. Typically, once this occurs fruiting season is over the plant will die back and that will be the end of the season.

In the case of sweet peas, they will typically start flowering in late spring or early summer and continue on throughout the summer until autumn when the first frost hits. At this point the plants will begin to die back.

In both cases, once the plants have died back there will typically be old dry pods on the plants which can be collected and used as next year’s seeds. Getting the pods ready for replanting requires no effort all other than to place the pods in a location that will allow them to dry out readily.

Once the pods have dried out seeds can be removed from the pods and put aside ready to plant for the following year. I personally don’t bother removing the seeds from the pods until I’m ready to plant the following year.