Topps Shell Pea

Those who grew up during the heyday of our national pastime associate the name with bubble gum and baseball cards. We’re talking peas, not hardball here, but whether as growers or as batters, we prefer Topps to a called Strike. In our 2010 trial, in a very warm dry spring in Zone 5, Topps bested both Strike and Premium with 5.42 peas per pod. In the more hospitable 2015 season one zone north, Topps, given ample rainfall in late spring, notched about 5–7 peas per pod. Not bad for a short vine (22–23") that bursts onto the second early scene with a concentrated set of very dark blunt 3½" pods. In Central Maine second early meant July 10 ripeness, whereas in West Tisbury, Mass., Tom Hodgson and Christine Gault shelled their first Topps on June 8 and won a First Peas contest. Production is ample but brief; within a week the plants are all picked out. As for the flavor? “Makes your mouth water for more,” said one taster. Others compared it closely with Early Frosty except Topps is easier to tell maturity and to shell. You can keep the bubble gum, we’ll take the peas!