Vegetable / Cool season
Peas
Early spring climbers the kids eat before you get inside
Plant out byMar 23zone 6
- Family
- Legume (Fabaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ h)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Days to harvest
- 60-70 days
- Spacing
- 2 in apart, rows 18 in
- Pot size
- 5 gal pot (fine in pots)
- Frost
- Hardy
- Start
- Direct sow
- Water
When to plant
Showing .
Averages for a typical garden in the region. Your local frost dates may differ by 2-3 weeks, check a local source.Too late this year (try fall)
In zone 6, sow or plant outdoors Mar 9 to Mar 23; sow again for fall Aug 25 to Sep 8. Average last frost Apr 20, first fall frost Oct 20.
Units
Peas want to go in the ground while it still feels like winter. Sow them about 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, once the soil is above 40 degrees F, and do not wait for a nice weekend. A late start is the most common mistake, because peas do poorly once temperatures climb past 80 degrees F. Plants that were flowering happily can yellow and stall in a single hot week.
Every pea needs something to climb. Even bush types that stay under 3 feet will flop without a short fence or some twiggy branches. Tall varieties need a trellis 5 or 6 feet high. Put the support in before you sow so you are not stabbing roots later. The tendrils find it on their own, though a nudge in the first week helps the stragglers.
They are a fine pot crop if the pot is deep and you add a small trellis. A row along the back of a raised bed works too. The best reason to grow peas is the picking. Snap peas are ready about a week after the flowers open, and shelling peas take closer to three weeks. Pick every couple of days and more pods follow. In our yard few of them make it to the kitchen, because the kids eat them straight off the vine.
Things to consider
- Heat ends the season. Once days run past 80 degrees F, flowering slows and powdery mildew moves in, so early sowing matters more than anything else.
- All peas need support, even short bush types. Set up the trellis or netting before sowing day, and pick a spot where the tall vines will not shade sun-loving crops later.
- A fall planting can go in about 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost, though fall yields usually come in well below spring ones. Seed sown into hot late-summer soil also sprouts unevenly.
Good neighbours
Keep apart
Pests to watch for
AphidsPea weevilsWireworms
Questions about growing peas
How far apart should pea seeds go?
Sow seeds about 1 to 2 inches apart and half an inch to an inch deep, and there is no need to thin them. Rows can sit 12 to 24 inches apart. Many growers plant a double row, one on each side of a single trellis, to save space. In soil around 55 to 65 degrees F, seedlings usually show up in 7 to 10 days.
What is the difference between picking snap peas and shelling peas?
Snap peas are eaten pod and all, so pick them when the pods are plump and crisp, about 5 to 8 days after flowering. Shelling peas need about 18 to 21 days after flowering, when the pods are full but the peas inside are still tender. Either way, eat or chill them soon after picking, because the sweetness fades fast at room temperature.
Why are my pea leaves turning white?
A white, dusty coating is usually powdery mildew, which shows up as the weather warms. It rarely wipes out a spring crop overnight, but it does shorten it. Early sowing and mildew resistant varieties help most, along with good airflow around the trellis. Water at the base in the morning rather than over the leaves in the evening.
Save this crop
Pin it to a garden board so it is there when planting time comes round.
Similar crops
Sources
General guidance for home gardens. Frost dates are averages for a zone or region; check a local source (in the US your county extension office) for local timing.