Snow Pea Yakumo Giant

Why I grow it
These are so bloody good. Yakumo Giant produces huge, flat edible pods that stay tender enough to eat whole, and they’re particularly brilliant tossed into a stir-fry.

It’s also reliably productive, so this isn’t one of those vegetables you lovingly tend for three months in return for seventeen grams of dinner.

At a glance
Type: Edible-podded snow pea
Variety: Yakumo Giant
Growth: Climbing vine
Pods: Very large, flat edible pods
Best use: Stir-fries, steaming and fresh eating
Inventory: 3 pots — approximately 3 plants per pot

In the kitchen
Pick the pods while they’re still tender and eat the whole thing. They’re fantastic in stir-fries — added towards the end so they stay bright and retain some crunch — but they’re also good lightly steamed or eaten fresh.

The size of the pods makes these particularly satisfying to harvest. You don’t need half the garden to produce enough for dinner.

In the garden
These plants are already well underway and need to go straight beside a trellis, netting or other climbing support.

For planting at this time of year, give them part shade or protection from the hottest afternoon sun rather than putting them in a baking position. Keeping them cooler and well watered should help extend harvesting before summer heat brings pea season to an end.

Care
Part shade for this late planting, fertile well-drained soil and consistent moisture. Give them climbing support immediately and harvest pods regularly while they’re tender to keep production going.

What you’ll receive
One pot containing approximately three established Yakumo Giant snow pea plants, already well underway and ready to get climbing.

Plants naturally vary in size and shape and may be supplied in reused nursery pots or growing bags — perfectly useful plastic doesn’t need replacing simply because it doesn’t match.