Snap peas are most popular where summers are too hot for snap beans. It's understandable that many gardeners think that southern peas grow only in the southern states. It's not true. Home gardeners Jerry Moeller of Fort Covington, New York, Dave Ackerman of Fort Mills, Ontario and Jim Tjephene of Clarks Grove, Minnesota, have grown southern peas, and Dr. David Davis has managed, for many years, an active breeding program at the University of Minnesota. Examples are Dr. Davis' Minnesota 13 and Minnesota 150 varieties.
Southern peas thrive in the middle of a hot, dry summer.
During a recent dry period, our peas remained healthy and vigorous when beans and sweet corn wilted. Mary Jo Meinhardt reported that Pink Eye Purple Hull peas produced a crop in her Houston, Texas, garden without any rain or irrigation. But southern peas respond better to good growing conditions, including adequate moisture and less extreme temperatures. How to Grow Choose a warm, sunny site. A soil test for acidity and available plant nutrients is, by far, the best way to determine soil mineral and nutrient needs.