In the Pea Patch

13 years ago

I believe some of this has already been done, but in peas I'm working on breeding yellow and purple podded snap peas.

Had some problems with pea germination this year, particularly with Sugar Daddy and Super Snappy.

Mostly using Blauwschokker and Early Golden for the Red and yellow genes (I seem to hear about other red-podded peas that are better tasting, but they don't seem readily available.)

Peas I'm growing:
Blauwschokker -- Purple/Red podded soup pea (Tall)
Early Golden -- old yellow podded (red flowered) snow pea (Tall)
Sugar Daddy -- very short supposedly no strings
Super Snappy -- supposedly up to 6 inch pods - short growing
Early Freezer -- Regular pea- appears productive, has gene for two flowers per node. Short but taller than SD or SS.
Super Sugar Snap -- Improved variety of original snap pea (the one I've usually preferred to grow). Tall growing.

I find the very short snap pea flowers are harder to work with than the tall varieties (and it's not just the reaching down to the groud). The flower buds seem smaller and weaker and more easlily accidently detached. I've mostly had to use the Blauwschokker and Early golden as mother parents (though I'd prefer going the other way).

Had a 'fortuitious' accident in the Sugar Daddy row -- one of the peas came up with bi-color red flowers. I know its not from my regular red peas as all my reds are tall and this is the same size as the other Sugar Daddy's)I don't know if it's a mis-hybridization, an accidental cross pollination from the seed salesman, or a mutation, but I'm taking advantage of it in my breeding!

So far I've bred the following (don't know if all have taken yet):
BL(auwshokker) X E(arly) F(reezer)
E(arly) G(olden) X EF
BL X S(ugar) D(addy) R(ed)
EG X SDR
SDR (self) - Let bloom self pollinate, but marked the seed for saving
BL X SD
SD X EG
BL X S(upper) S(nappy)
EG X SS

Anyone else in the midst of a breeding project?

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Comments (4)

mauch1
Original Author
13 years ago
Frustration -- After a period of torrential rains, and being unable to get to the garden, a deer invaded the garden and browsed through most of the garden. Particullary, he devestated the peas. Lost most of the crosses, then I managed to compound the problem by removing two remaining crossed pods by accident. I'm going to look and see if the plants rebloom so I can try the crosses again, but it's going to be more difficult

*SIGH*
keking
13 years ago
You may be interested in Rebsie Fairholm's experiments with peas. She crossed a purple podded with a yellow podded. In the F2 generation she got one with red pods.

She also crossed 'Sugar Ann' with 'Golden Sweet'. Among other things she got some with purple seeds, and some yellow snap peas. Very cool!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rebsie Fairholm's Peas
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keen101 (5b, Northern, Colorado)
10 years ago
On March 7th i planted all my breeding peas. It included 'Orange Pod' from IPK Gatersleben, Salmon-flowered (with potential F1 hybrids with Biskopens), Biskopens (with various potential F1 hybrids), Joseph's Red Podded, Joseph's Red Snap, Joseph's Yellow podded, Joseph's Yellow snap with pink spots, Virescens Mutante, Kapuler bred varieties: Sugar Magnolia (with various potential F1 hybrids), Spring Rose, Green Beauty and Sugaree. And others including my brown mottled Mummy pea and green seeded unnamed umbellatum originally from USDA GRIN.

I already have some Mighty Midget and Purple Passion peas growing in my cold frame.

Today i found three packets of pea seed i did not plant that i figured would be worth finding them space, so i set up the last remaining mini trellisi (is that the plural word?) and planted them. They were labeled: Partially red podded peas (joseph's line), Joseph's partially red pods, and partially-red snap.

Other breeding projects this year include:

In addition i direct seeded a few seeds i saved from the teosinte diploperennis-corn(maize) hybrids and Zea Mexicana teosinte within the pea breeding patch. I'm hoping at least one will make it to seed this year before fall ends. Here's crossing my fingers. I planted my pea stakes in a circle this year specifically to create a fence around the teosinte and teosinte hybrids. Last time i grew teosinte the racoons broke them stupidly thinking it was corn with something to eat. I'm sure they were disappointed. I sure was.

Generally i stay away from tomatoes as i have not had great luck in the past. But i'm going to try and change that this year or at least work toward it. I'm tired of cardboard tasting pale red store tomatoes. I want some color and flavor. I also would hope to eventually work towards Joseph's goal of a highly attractive to bees and highly outcrossing tomatoes. Bonus if those tomatoes are frost tolerant. Biggest selection is tomatoes that do well here. And by that i mean they thrive even in poor soil, produce abundantly, and fit my other tastes. I does not matter if an heirloom like Cherokee Purple tastes great, but only makes one tomato the whole season. That's just lame.
keen101 (5b, Northern, Colorado)
10 years ago
Here are some of my peas this year. For more photo's of my peas, which include yellow-podded snap peas, purple-podded snow peas, purple-podded snap peas, red podded snow and snap peas, etc. then google "keen101 photobucket garden 2016".