Snow peas (Pisum sativum) are a flavorful crop that can be eaten raw or cooked. Diversified farmers often grow them to provide diverse crops for local markets. Controlled environment agriculture allows for fresh harvest and sale in markets that may not otherwise have access to them, such as early or late in the season. This research aims to increase crop diversity for growers. In this research, three cultivars of snow pea were grown including, Oregon Giant, Royal Snow, and Golden Sweet. These varieties were grown using a high (200 mg/L N) or low rate (100 mg/L N) of fertilizer in three different systems. The systems were drip irrigated 3:1 coconut coir: parboiled rice husks, drip irrigated 3:1 sphagnum peat: parboiled rice husks, and hydroponic nutrient film technique (NFT). The pods were harvested every two days for two weeks. Data collected included germination rate, number and weight of pods, and dry weight of shoot biomass per experimental unit. Two trials occurred, the first in winter 2024-2025 and the second in spring 2025. Golden Sweet and Royal Snow had the highest germination rate at over 80% in both trials and Oregon Giant performed poorly at less than 60%. In total harvestable yield, there was no significance in rate of fertilizer by itself, but the interaction between system and fertilizer was significant. In NFT, plants produced more peas with a high rate of fertilizer while in sphagnum peat, they produced more peas with a low rate of fertilizer. Regardless of fertilizer, plants in coconut coir produced very little and experienced a high rate of fruit abortion. In the interaction between system and cultivar, Golden Sweet in NFT produced more than any other combination. In this comparison, when grown in coconut coir, all three cultivars produced significantly less than all other combinations. The production cycle from seed to final harvest was approximately 80 days in both trials. It is feasible to produce a marketable crop of snow peas in controlled environment agriculture. NFT systems with 200 mg/L N of fertilizer produced the highest yield and biomass and could offer hydroponic growers a new crop option.
