How to Grow Peas
Peas At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -7°C
Plant Family
Fabaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Peas love cold soil, so sow them 3 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, as soon as the soil has thawed and is not soggy. Push the seeds 2 cm deep, 10 cm apart, along a fence, net or row of twiggy sticks for them to climb. They sprout in 7 to 14 days. Sow them right where they will grow, since their roots do not like being moved.
Peas are one of the first things you can sow in spring, but they stop making pods once summer turns hot, so sowing early is the key. Their roots add nitrogen (a plant food) to the soil, so cut the vines at the soil and leave the roots in the ground. You can sow a second crop about 2 months before your first fall frost for a fall harvest.
When To Start
First chance to plant
45 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Peas?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Peas Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Peas Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow peas outdoors now in cool soil, next to a support
6 weeks before your last frost· every year
Pick peas every 2 days, they are sweetest right off the vine
60 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your peas seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the peas seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 24 days after you plant it
How are your peas doing? Give the vines something to climb now if they are reaching.
About 32 days after you plant it
Your peas are getting close! Pick pods often once they fill out, and the plants will keep making more.
About 51 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your peas.
About 55 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Peas's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
2 cm
Seeding Depth
10 cm
Plant Spacing
30 cm
Row Spacing
9
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
Yes: Trellis.
Method: Trellis.
Succession Planting
Yes.
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow peas in full sun, at least 6 hours a day, though they welcome some afternoon shade in warm spells.
- 2Mix a little compost into the soil, but skip rich manure, since peas make much of their own plant food.
- 3Water about once a week so the soil stays evenly moist, and more often once the flowers and pods appear.
- 4Feed only lightly, with a sprinkle of worm castings at sowing, as too much food gives leaves instead of pods.
- 5Give every pea something to climb: tall types like Alderman need a net or fence about 2 m high, while short types like Early Frosty are happy with twiggy sticks.
- 6Cover new sowings with row cover so birds and mice do not dig up the seeds, and spray aphids off with water.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~55
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
30 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Harvest pods frequently to prolong yield
How to Harvest
- 1Pick shelling peas like Green Arrow and Alderman when the pods are plump and bright green, before they turn dull and waxy.
- 2Pick sugar snap peas when the pods are round and crisp, and eat them pod and all.
- 3Hold the vine with one hand and pick the pod with the other, so you do not pull the plant down.
- 4Pick every 2 days, since the more you pick, the more pods come.
- 5Eat or chill peas right away, because their sugar starts turning to starch within hours.
- 6To freeze them, shell them, blanch them (dip in boiling water for 2 minutes, then in cold water) and freeze them flat in bags.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Pea flowers pollinate themselves, so the seeds grow true as long as the variety is not a hybrid (hybrid F1 seeds will not), and keeping varieties about 3 m apart is plenty. Choose a few healthy plants and stop picking them, so the pods stay on the vine until they turn brown and dry and the peas rattle inside. If frost or a long rain comes first, pull the whole vines and hang them in a dry place to finish. Shell the peas and let them dry another week, until a pea shatters when you hit it with a hammer instead of squashing. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep about 3 years.
Seed Production
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