How to Grow Peas

My arch tunnel covered in pea vines is my happy place. I’ve grown peas every year since I started gardening, and they’re one of the cool-season crops I look forward to most.

Fresh peas taste sweeter than anything you can buy, because their sugars start turning to starch almost as soon as you pick them. A pea eaten right off the vine is as sweet as it gets, and at my house, a lot of them never make it inside.

Peas are also one of the few climbing crops in my fall and winter garden. Don’t confuse them with sweet peas, the flowers. Sweet peas climb too, but they’re grown for their blooms and aren’t edible. I make room for both. Here’s how to grow sweet pea flowers if you want them too.

Snap, Snow, or Shelling Peas: Which I Grow

There are three main types of peas, and knowing which one you’re growing tells you when to harvest and how to use it.

Sugar snap peas are the ones I grow the most. My family loves eating the peas and the pods.

When to Plant Peas

Peas grow best when temperatures stay below 70ºF. In the low desert, you can plant peas from September through January. I aim for mid to late October, once it’s cooled down enough that the seedlings don’t struggle in the heat. The timing is the same for snap, snow, and shelling peas, which you’ll also see called English peas. My list of what to plant in October in the low desert has the other crops that go in then.

In cold-winter areas, peas are one of the first crops you plant in spring, usually 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost. They grow more slowly in cold soil, so a soil temperature check before planting helps.

How I Plant Peas

Peas have fragile roots, so I sow them directly in the garden. One year I tried starting peas indoors and transplanting them. Those plants gave me peas sooner, but they produced less than the peas I sowed directly. My post on crops with sensitive roots explains why some crops do better sown in place.

Plant seeds 1 inch deep and about 2 inches apart along your trellis. In a square foot garden, I plant 9 peas per square. Here’s my guide to plant spacing in square foot gardens.

Birds like to peck at pea seedlings. I plant a thick row and thin it later, so I don’t lose the whole planting.

Peas need well-draining soil and at least 6 hours of sun. They don’t need extra fertilizer. I add compost and worm castings to my beds, and that’s all they get. Here are the benefits of worm castings in the garden. Rotate where you plant peas each year to cut down on disease.

Give Peas Something Tall to Climb

Peas need a trellis, and they need a tall one. Mine climb 6 to 8 feet or more and often grow back down the other side. Put your trellis in place before you plant so you don’t disturb the roots later.

I grow peas over the arch trellises along my garden walkways, on Freyr trellises, and on simple trellises in my side yard.

The tendrils reach out and grab on, but sometimes they miss. Check on young plants and guide any stray vines back to the trellis.

Watering and Care

In winter, I water my peas about once a week. They don’t like soggy soil, but don’t let them dry out, especially while they’re flowering and setting pods. Mulch around the plants once they’re about 2 inches tall to hold moisture and keep weeds down. Here’s how I mulch my garden.

Avoid digging around pea plants to pull weeds, since the roots are close to the surface.

Pea Problems I’ve Had

Powdery mildew is the most common problem I see on peas. It looks like white powder on the leaves and vines, and it gets worse during warm, dry stretches. If you’ve had trouble with it before, look for disease-resistant varieties. Seed packets list the resistance codes. Learn how to prevent and treat powdery mildew on your crops.

I’ve also had mild frost damage on my pea plants. They kept producing anyway. Wilt diseases can turn vines yellow and brown. Don’t compost diseased plants. Throw them away instead.

How I Harvest Peas

I start harvesting around December, about two months after planting. Harvests last through March or April, depending on where the peas are planted. The ones in my shadier side yard keep going a little longer.

Once they get going, I pick about once a week. I also grab a few whenever I’m out in the garden and see some ready. When there are a lot ready at once, I enlist some help.

Pick often. Pods left on the vine tell the plant its job is done, and it slows down. Hold the vine steady with one hand and pull the pod off with the other.

• Sugar snap peas are best when the peas are well formed but still small inside the pod.
• Snow peas are ready when you can see the peas, but they’re still flat.
• Shelling peas are ready when the pods are round, bright green, and shiny. Once the pods turn dull, the peas get starchy.

The young shoots and tendrils are edible too. I don’t usually eat them, but you can eat them raw or lightly cooked.

Fresh peas keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a paper bag placed inside a zip-top bag. You can freeze or dry them, but the texture changes.

What I Do When the Pea Season Ends

As it heats up in spring, the plants start to look tired, production slows, and the leaves yellow near the base. That’s the end of the season.

Don’t pull the plants out. Cut them off at the base and leave the roots in the soil. Peas are legumes that add nitrogen to the soil, so the roots feed what you plant next. Compost the tops if they aren’t diseased.

If you want to save seeds, leave a few pods on the vine until they turn brown and dry. Here’s how to save seeds from your garden. Peas are one of my family’s favorite crops, and they earned a spot on my list of the easiest vegetables to grow in a mild winter climate.

How to Grow Peas FAQs