Peas

Pea types

Wrinkled-seeded varieties are sweeter and preferred for home use; smooth-seeded peas are starchy and mainly used for canning (Clemson, Mississippi State). Growth habit matters for support: Maryland describes determinate, bushy cultivars under 3 ft and indeterminate cultivars over 5 ft tall.

How early to sow

Peas are a hardy crop (CSU): young plants survive light frost (UMN), but blossoms do not (Clemson). New Hampshire's planting guide says to sow as soon as the soil thaws (UNH); Minnesota says as soon as the soil can be worked (UMN).

Some published spring dates:

For your own dates, start from frost dates explained and the planting calendar.

Planting step by step

1. Choose full sun. At least 6 hours of direct light, 8–10 preferred (UMD). Raised beds let you plant when the rest of the garden is too wet (Mississippi State).
2. Set supports first. Install them before or right after planting, even for dwarf varieties (Clemson).
3. Sow about 1 in deep (UMN, CSU, UW, Mississippi State); ½–1 in (USU); 1–1½ in (Clemson).
4. Space seeds to the next table.
5. Water and mulch. At least 1 in a week, on the soil rather than the vines, with 3–4 in of mulch (UMN); water is most critical after flowering, and overwatering promotes root rot (USU).
6. Skip extra nitrogen. It over-stimulates leaves, delays flowering and reduces pod set (USU). Clemson names the seed inoculant for peas: Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viceae.
7. Stagger sowings a week apart (UMN) or every 14–21 days until April 1 in warm areas and May 1 in cooler ones (USU); Virginia Tech lists two spring plantings and none in fall.

Spacing by source

For a grid bed, compare counts on square foot gardening spacing.

Trellising

• Who needs it: tall varieties must be supported, while double rows of short-vine types support themselves (Mississippi State). Most varieties are self-supporting, but taller ones yield more and are easier to pick with cages, trellises or fencing (USU). Clemson says even dwarf varieties benefit from support.
• Why: support keeps vines off the ground and reduces pod-rot losses (Mississippi State); vertical growing saves garden space (UF/IFAS).
• Short supports (peas to 3 ft): 4-ft stakes set 1 ft deep and 10 ft apart, with six strings 6 in apart (UW).
• Tall supports (to 6 ft): 10-ft stakes set 18 in deep and 8 ft apart, with 6-ft-wide nylon netting (UW). Minnesota uses two stakes with string or netting between them.
• Materials: netting, wires or pea brush for the tendrils (Clemson); climbing surfaces with holes no more than 4 in across, on posts driven at least 18–24 in into the ground (Virginia Extension).

Containers

• Size: at least 2 gallons and 12 in deep, plants 2–3 in apart (NC State); 12 in deep (Montana State). UMD (1–3 gal) and UW–Madison (at least 2 gal) both put peas in their small class at 4–6 in deep. See container sizes for vegetables.
• Varieties: Montana State suggests Laxton's Progress, Little Marvel, SugarBon, SugarMel and Sugar Rae, and notes that dwarf peas still need a low trellis for air circulation.
• Support: put it in at sowing so roots are disturbed less (NC State).

Is a fall crop worth it?

Sources split. Montana State schedules a fall crop 12 weeks before the first frost. Utah State gives mid-August in northern Utah and mid-September in southern Utah, but says fall yields are much lower than spring. Minnesota's midsummer table lists 70–80 days for fall peas, longer than in spring, and says they survive the high 20s; a 70–80-day crop sown 12 weeks (84 days) out would be ready about ½–2 weeks before the average frost. Maryland says fall-planted peas often perform poorly: seed germinates poorly in warm soil, plants struggle in heat, and a killing frost can arrive before pods mature. Virginia Tech's guide does not recommend fall planting in any Virginia zone. Clemson's text says fall plantings are not recommended, although its table lists August 15–October 30 for the Piedmont and August 15–November 30 for the coast. In Central and South Florida, UF/IFAS lists sowing from September through February.

New Hampshire's fall guide gives 60–80 days and reminds readers that days to maturity are counted from germination, not planting (UNH).

Harvest and pests

Pick every 1–3 days (Clemson); fresh peas become inedible within 1–3 days of maturity (UMN). Maryland expects 3–5 lb per 10-ft row; Utah State 2–3 lb shelled peas or 3–4 lb of snap or snow pods.

This page gives no pesticide or fertilizer rates. Follow your soil test and any product label, and ask your county extension office to identify problems.

Small-space checklist

• Wait for workable soil of at least 40°F, weeks before the last frost.
• Put up a 3-ft support for dwarf types or a 6-ft net for tall types before sowing.
• Sow about 1 in deep and 1–3 in apart along the support.
• Water at least 1 in a week, steadily after flowering; mulch.
• Pick every 1–3 days.
• Try a fall crop only where your frost date leaves 70–80 days of cool weather.

More crop pages: bush and pole beans, radishes, spinach, lettuce, carrots and kale.