How to Grow Broad Beans & Snow Peas

Plant both broad beans and snow peas in early spring. Cultivate the planting area by tilling and forming rows. Use a garden fork and a garden hoe to pierce, pull and turn the soil. Break large clumps of soil by bashing them with the side of the fork or smashing them with the hoe. Choose a planting site that receives full sun and ample ventilation. If the planting site's soil drains poorly or requires amendment, add and incorporate organic matter, such as compost. Use a bow rake to manipulate the soil, forming crop rows approximately 1 foot wide, 2- to 3-inches tall and 2 feet apart.

Use your fingers or the butt-end of a garden tool to create holes for sowing the peas and beans. Poke holes 1- to 2-inches deep into the center of the rows. For snow peas, space the holes 2 inches apart. For broad beans, space the holes 3 inches apart. Use a bow rake to fill the holes and lightly cover the new plantings with soil. Water the new planting well and keep moist until germination (sprouting) occurs.

Build a trellis to support vining varieties of snow peas and broad beans. Pound t-posts into the ground at each end of a row.

Loop galvanized wire around the top of a t-post and twist it to secure it in place. Run the wire to the t-post at the opposite end of the row. Attach the wire to the top of the opposite t-post. Repeat the process near the bottom of the t-posts.

Use twine to create a zig-zag support system that runs on a vertical plane from the top wire to the bottom wire. Tie twine to one of one of the corners of the top wire. Pull the twine to the bottom wire and toward the opposite end of the row. Tie the twine to the bottom wire and again to the top wire to form a "V" shape. Repeat the process, to create a zig-zag pattern between the wires and across the entire row. Allow bean and pea vines to crawl, climb and rest on the twine and wires.