Snappy-Growing Snap Peas

Vining plants amaze me...twining vines even more so. Never is it more evident that plants are *aLiVe*! 

The heirloom Amish Snap Peas seeds that I purchased from Annie's Heirloom Seeds develop into just that: a twining, vining plant, and so I was excited to get them going. I expected a lot, but I tell you, these guys caught me off-guard. They are developing incredibly quickly...I swear I see them growing before my eyes. The photos seen here were taken just 13 days after sowing seeds.

On April 4, I planted the seeds in two large pots. Nighttime temps were still dropping to the low-30s, so the pots were in the house except for the warmest hours of the day. Before taking them outside most days, the tops of the pots got a loose application of bubble wrap. Nine days after sowing, clumps of dirt were being pushed aside by green pea plants. The seeds had germinated. Two days after that, the plants were already reaching about three inches tall, and thin shoots were searching for something, anything to grip onto to get them closer to their almighty god and savior: the Sun.

The plan is for the plants to grow up the metal framing of a canopy that's on my brick patio. We'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, the pea plants' shoots are working up metal trellises that I placed in the pots just this morning. In fact, within an hour, the shoots seen above were fully gripping the trellis--so fast, it's creepy. It brings to mind Cleopatra, the fast-moving, man-eating plant on The Addams Family. I'll do everything in my power to ensure the health of this plant, but I'm going to watch my back around these fabulously vigorous, snappy-growing snap pea vines.