VegetablePea
Sugar Daddy Pea
Snap Pea
Sugar Daddy Pea is a stringless snap pea that delivers crisp, sweet pods ready to harvest in 70 to 79 days. This frost-tolerant annual grows as a compact bush reaching 24 to 36 inches tall, making it manageable without extensive trellising, though it can vine slightly depending on growing conditions. Hardy from zones 1 through 9, it thrives in full sun with consistent moisture and well-draining soil, producing heavily laden plants that reward frequent picking with continued harvests throughout the season.
Photo © True Leaf Market(https://www.trueleafmarket.com/products/pea-snap-sugar-daddy-organic)
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
1-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, Moderately Rich
Preferred Temp55-75°F
Growth Stats
36 in
Height
PeriodAnnual
TypeBush
Spacing
6 inches apart
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Zones
1-9
Size
36in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The standout feature of Sugar Daddy is its stringless pods that snap cleanly between your teeth with no fibrous strings to remove, a rare trait among snap peas that makes eating straight from the garden or adding to stir-fries genuinely effortless. Sweet and crisp pods fatten up quickly, becoming most flavorful when plump and waxy. Its compact growth habit and relatively short vine length mean you can grow it with minimal support, and the heavy production means a single planting feeds a family generously throughout its bearing window.
Common Uses
Sugar Daddy shines as a fresh-eating snap pea, best enjoyed raw straight from the pod or lightly steamed to preserve its crispness and sweetness. The stringless pods are particularly suited to stir-fries where you want clean bites without fibrous bits catching in your teeth. Its high vitamin C and niacin content makes it nutritionally dense; gardeners often harvest early in the day when pods are crispiest and eat them within hours for maximum nutrition and flavor.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Early Spring
First Harvest
Early Summer
Last Harvest
Mid-summer
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow Sugar Daddy pea seeds outdoors when spring temperatures begin to warm, roughly 2 to 3 weeks before your last spring frost. The variety tolerates frost and germinates reliably in soil temperatures between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Harvesting
Begin checking for maturity as soon as pods start to swell, then harvest daily as peas mature quickly. Sugar Daddy pods should be plump and waxy when picked; these are the sweetest. Harvest earlier in the day when pods are crispiest. Use both hands when picking, holding the vine steady with one hand while gently pulling pods with the other to prevent damage to the plant. Harvest frequently to keep plants producing throughout the season.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Soil pH Range
6 – 7
Scientific Classification
Lathyrus L.
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Lathyrus