Simple strategies to Develop Snow Pea Shoots Indoors Merely
Looking for a plastic-free way to enjoy fresh greens all year round? Here’s my easy guide on how to grow snow pea shoots indoors with minimum fuss.
Snow pea shoots – the edible shoots that grow from the stalks of the pea plant when the pods are nearing completion – make for a tasty addition to salads, stir-fries, pizzas and sandwiches. Both the leaves and stalks are edible, and add a fresh pea-like flavour to your favourite dishes.
Tender and crunchy, snow pea shoots are not only tasty but so good for you too. They are a nutritional powerhouse – packed full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Basically, all the good stuff.
The only problem is that shop-bought snow pea shoots come packaged in plastic bags. Whilst plastic bags are now recyclable in most major supermarkets, it turns out that most soft plastics collected in these schemes are burned rather than recycled. Not only is it a waste of resources, but burning plastic contributes to climate change by emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
So if you too are looking to cut your plastic waste, then the good news is you can skip the shop-bought shoots, and grow your own, all year round.
The best part is it’s super easy to get growing. You can pick up a cardboard box of dried peas from any supermarket for the princely sum of 85p and get growing the zero-waste way. A third of a box of dried peas – so less than 29p – got me this bountiful crop within days:
Want to grow your own too? Here’s all you need to know:
How to Grow Snow Pea Shoots Indoors
Here’s how to grow pea shoots so you can have a constant indoor crop of them for not much money. It’s pretty much foolproof. Even if you’re not particularly green-fingered, you can do this (I believe in you!). I’d compare it to growing cress – if you can grow cress on your window ledge then you can definitely grow snow pea shoots.
And if you have kids then it’s also such a fun activity to get them involved in. The peas shoot quite quickly, and then they can eat their bounty within just a few days.
You Will Need
- A box of dried whole peas
- A tub – any tub will do. You can reuse a plastic food tray such as the kind you get when you buy tomatoes or grapes, a takeaway container, an old Tupperware tub, or a bowl. There’s no need to buy anything new.
- Cotton wool, kitchen roll, or crumpled newspaper.
- Water
Instructions
- Firs, you need to work out how many peas you need. To do so place the dried peas into the empty tub of your choosing – ensuring the peas are densely packed in one layer only.
- Empty the peas into a glass of water to soak overnight. Don’t skip this step. We did this the first time around and the peas never came to anything.
- The next day drain your peas and line your tub with a thin layer of damp cotton wool, kitchen roll or newspaper (perhaps a centimetre thick).
- Add your peas to the container, spreading them across the container so they aren’t all clumped in one spot.
- Leave the tub on a sunny window ledge, and water when the cotton wool, kitchen roll or newspaper feels a bit dry. Be careful not to add too much water, as they will start to rot. As a rule, the cotton wool (or whatever you’re using) should feel damp, not sodden. If you accidentally add too much water, drain it out.
That’s all it takes to grow pea shoots – it really is as easy as that! You could cover them with a clear plastic tub (again, like a fruit tray) to trap heat. It should only take about five or six days to get to a good height, ready for eating – although it depends on the temperature, so don’t worry if it takes longer.
When it comes to picking them for eating, my top tip is to pinch off each shoot just above the bottom leaves. This is because they may reshoot, providing you with another batch of pea shoots.
This was our batch of snow pea shoots after only a day and a half:
As you can see, they shoot fast!
Other Top Growing Tips
I’ve been growing snow pea shoots for years now, and have gathered a few top growing tips:
- If growth stalls, then try feeding your peas. The first time I tried to grow snow peas, the growth of our peas stalled at a few centimetres until we fed them with some cold black tea. After a little tea, they then they shot up in leaps and bounds. If you don’t drink tea, try a little organic plant food that’s designed for growing vegetables.
- Once your snow pea shoots are a few inches high, cut and enjoy! Don’t leave them too long before cutting. This is because once they get a bit taller and the stems thicken they start to taste quite bitter, which is not what you want at all!
- If you want to keep a constant supply, then after around 3 or 4 days into the growing cycle of the first batch, you should sow another batch in another tub.
So there you go, that’s how to grow snow pea shoots indoors, without single-use plastic, for under £1! Hap-pea growing! And if you liked this post, check out these other thrifty ideas on how to grow food from vegetable scraps!
Here’s a printer-friendly version if you need one:
- A box of dried whole peas
- A Boy You can re-use a plastic food tray such as the kind you get when you buy tomatoes or grapes, a takeaway container, an old Tupperware tub, or a bowl. There’s no need to buy anything new.
- Cotton wool, kitchen roll, or crumpled newspaper
- Water
-
First you need to work out how many peas you need. To do so place the dried peas into the empty tub of your choosing – ensuring the peas are densely packed in one layer only.
-
Empty the peas into a glass of water to soak overnight. Don’t skip this step. We did this the first time around and the peas never came to anything.
-
The next day drain your peas and line your tub with a thin layer of damp cotton wool, kitchen roll or newspaper (perhaps a centimetre thick).
-
Add your peas to the container, spreading them across the container so they aren’t all clumped in one spot.
-
Leave the tub on a sunny window ledge, and water when the cotton wool, kitchen roll or newspaper feels a bit dry. Be careful not to add too much water, as they will start to rot. As a rule, the cotton wool (or whatever you’re using) should feel damp, not sodden. If you accidentally add too much water, drain it out.
-
Harvest once they are a few inches tall.
Pin This Post For Later:
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
