Eating Garden

How to Grow Peas

Pisum sativum

A cool-season vine grown for sweet seeds or tender edible pods.

At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

  • Water

    Average thirst

  • First harvest

    55 to 70 days

    from sowing

  • Growing in a pot

    Suitable for pots

  • Plant spacing

    1 to 3 in apart

More about this plant

Sow peas as soon as thawed soil can be worked, add support for tall vines and keep roots moist while pods form. Pick often before summer heat ends the crop.

  • Grows for one season.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • Fine in a small space.
  • A good one to grow together with children.
  • Ready to pick quickly.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.

A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.

Helpful gardening guides

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Sow outdoors 0 to 2 weeks after the start of your growing seasonSow as soon as thawed soil can be worked and is at least about 40F.
  • Ready to pick about 55 to 70 days from sowing.
  • For a steady supply, sow a few more every 7 days.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seedYou can sow it straight into the ground.
  • How deep to plant1 in
    Planting depth: 1 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart1 to 3 inLeave 6 to 18 in between rows.
    Leave 1 to 3 in between plants and 6 to 18 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

Step by step

  1. Sow as soon as soil can be workedPlant in thawed soil at least about 40F so the crop grows before summer heat.
  2. Plant an inch deepSpace seed about 1 to 3 inches apart and follow the packet for the vine type.
  3. Add the trellis earlyGive tall vines a support up to about five feet before their tendrils need it.
  4. Sow another short rowA second sowing one week later can spread the spring harvest.
  5. Water as pods fillKeep the roots moist during dry weather and water the soil instead of the vines.
  6. Pick for the pea typeCheck shelling, snow and snap peas for their different ready signs and harvest often.

Common mistakes

  • Planting after weather turns warmPeas need time to flower and fill pods before heat above about 85F stops production.
  • Forgetting supportTall vines tangle and become hard to pick. Put the trellis in at sowing time.
  • Waiting too long to pickOld shelling peas become starchy and edible pods become tough. Check every day or two.

Water

Average thirst

Keep the root zone moist during dry weather, especially while pods fill. About one inch a week is a useful start when rain is short.

  • Too dry
  • About right
  • Too wet
  • If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryFlowers drop, pods stay flat and vines fade early.
  • If it stays wetDislikes sitting wetSoggy ground can rot seed or roots and increase vine disease.

Looking after it

  • FeedingRarely needs feedingBegin with compost and follow a soil test. Do not push soft leafy growth with heavy fertilizer.
  • NitrogenToo much nitrogen gives leaves instead of food
  • SupportA trellisTall vines can reach five feet and need a trellis. Short bush types may lean on each other, but support makes picking easier.
  • ThinningThin seedlings to 2 in apartCrowded seedlings stay small. Pull the weaker ones and keep the strongest.
  • MulchA light mulch holds moisture and keeps the cool-season root zone from drying quickly.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Shelling pods are plump, snow pea pods are full length but still flat, and snap pea pods are nearly filled but still juicy and tender.

Hold the vine with one hand and pinch or clip the pod with the other. Pick often before pods turn tough or starchy.

  • Keeping itKeeps 3 to 7 daysCool peas right after picking and refrigerate them in a vented bag. Use within about one week, and sooner for the sweetest flavor.

Is this right for you?

Cool weather around 55F to 65F. Young plants handle light frost, but frost can harm flowers and production ends as temperatures rise above about 85F.

  • LightFull sun
  • ShadeCopes with a little shade
  • SeasonA cool season cropUsually grown in spring or fall.
  • FrostSurvives a light frost
  • HeatStruggles in heat

Soil

  • Soil pH6.0 to 7.5A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesLoam, Sandy, Clay
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessHappy in poor ground

Use well-drained soil improved with finished compost or well-rotted manure.

Use a soil test. Peas need less fertilizer than many crops, so avoid heavy feeding and extra phosphorus by habit.

The year at a glance

Measured from the start of your growing season, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Sow outdoors

    0 to 2 weeks after the start of your growing season

Questions people ask

Can peas handle frost?

Young plants can handle light frost, but frost during flowering can damage the crop.

Do peas need a trellis?

Tall types do. Short bush types may stand together, though a low support still makes picking easier.

When are snow peas ready?

Pick when the pod is full length but still flat, before the seeds swell.

When are snap peas ready?

Pick when the juicy pod is nearly filled but still tender.

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
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