The Little Marvel Pea is a well-known old time home garden favorite! It has a high yield and excellent sweet flavor, making it the most satisfactory pea in the home garden.
This variety's plants are very productive and compact and will grow up to 30 inches tall. Little Marvel produces small, bright green pods with luscious, sugary peas that stay tender and sweet even when fully ripe!
Prior to sowing, add wood ashes to the area for fertilization. Soak seeds overnight before planting.
Plant the first sowing in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. It is best to have a support or trellis system to help with diseases and yield. For fall crops, sow six to eight weeks before first frost date.
Pick when pods are at the desired stage. In theory, all peas can be harvested before the seeds mature, as snow peas, and then as tender snap peas, and finally as shelling peas. Most varieties have an intended maturity for picking (for Little Marvel peas, that’s 60 days). Make multiple sowings to extend the harvest season.
Harvest frequently to ensure continued yields.
Saving pea seed is easy! Leave pods of spring-planted peas on the vine to dry. Harvest dried pods and hand shell the seeds over a cloth or container. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate pea varieties by 30 feet. Store seeds in a cool, dry area for up to three years.