Snow peas in space!
At the American Society for Horticultural Science’s sizzling summer summit in New Orleans, an unexpected underdog dazzled the data-driven crowd: the snow pea. Crisp and colorful, this cool-season crop took the spotlight in a seminar by Jacob Schwab, a graduate research assistant at the University of Maine, who’s sowing seeds of innovation in both space age science and smallscale farming.
Schwab’s session, “Controlled Environment Production of Snow Peas in the Northeast U.S.,” peeled back the pod on a research project that’s both practical and pioneering. While many associate hydroponics with tomatoes, lettuce or strawberries, Schwab focused on snow peas, a flavorful favorite that can be eaten raw or cooked that often fills a flavorful niche in diversified, direct-to-market farms.
His mission: to figure out how to grow these crunchy climbers consistently in controlled settings, expanding their availability beyond their natural season.
It’s not just about food for local farmers. Schwab’s work is rooted in a much broader initiative. UMaine is a Space Grant university, part of a NASA-backed national network that fosters research and education in STEM fields, particularly those that “push boundaries, explore the unknown and support sustainable systems beyond Earth’s surface.” Schwab’s snow peas may sprout in Maine greenhouses for now, but the methods he’s testing could eventually feed astronauts in cramped quarters headed to Mars.
“This really shows how important it is to support small farms,” Schwab explained. “A lot of snow pea growers in Maine are operating on less than one acre.” (A lot being about 2,800, as of the 2022 Ag Census.)
The study sprouted from two trials, one launched in December 2024, the second in February 2025, each lasting roughly 80 days from seed to final harvest. Schwab selected three colorful cultivars for testing: the golden-podded ‘Golden Sweet,’ the royal-hued ‘Royal Snow’ and the hefty, green ‘Oregon Giant.’
The varieties were grown using either low (100 mg/L) or high (200 mg/L) nitrogen fertilizer across three distinct systems: a drip-irrigated mix of coconut coir and rice husks; a drip-irrigated mix of sphagnum peat and rice husks; and the high-tech hydroponic nutrient lm technique (NFT).
Every two days for two weeks, Schwab and his team harvested pods and logged critical stats: germination rates, pod counts and weights and shoot biomass. As the numbers rolled in, so did some surprises.
In the first trial, NFT delivered the best results overall, followed closely by the sphagnum peat mix. Though fertilizer level didn’t make much difference in pod count, it did pack a punch in vegetative growth. Plants given more nitrogen built up lush, leafy canopies, a double-edged sword that may be beneficial in biomass-focused systems, but not always ideal for pod-focused production. Schwab’s research not only reinforced the value of controlled environment systems for northern growers craving off-season options – it also pointed the way toward a more diversified crop catalog for hydroponic farmers. Snow peas, with their short cycles and high crunch factor, could become a new favorite in farm stands and food hubs, especially in regions like Maine where the outdoor growing season is fleeting.
And beyond Earth? The study offers important insight for space-bound systems, where reliability, nutrient efficiency and environmental control are key. The NFT system with high nitrogen was not only the top performer in yield, but also in overall shoot biomass, potentially supporting both food and oxygen generation in a space station setting.
From test trays in Maine to the possibility of farming on Mars, Schwab’s snow peas are more than just pods with panache. They’re proof that with smart systems and scientic savvy, growers can achieve great things, whether they’re tending a micro-farm in the Northeast or prepping a payload for the stars.
by Enrico Villamaino
