Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Peas
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Planting
Select a sunny location and well-draining soil. Although peas can grow in part shade, they won’t be as sweet or productive as those grown in full sun. Prepare the soil, preferably in the fall, mixing in aged manure and/or compost, and mulch well—peas like well-draining soil.
When to Plant Peas
- Sow seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost date when the soil is cool or when it is at the desired temperature. Peas planted in cold (40°F) soil will germinate slowly; peas planted in soil that is at least 60°F (but not more than 85°F) will catch up.
- Snow will not hurt emerging pea plants, but several days with temperatures in the teens might. Be prepared to plant again if the first peas don’t make it. Alternatively, try starting your peas in a cold frame.
- A second round of peas can be planted in the late summer or early fall, approximately 6 to 8 weeks before your first fall frost date.
Here are some more tips on when to start planting peas.
How to Plant Peas
- Peas are best direct-seeded right in the ground and do not like their roots disturbed. But transplanting is possible if you start seeds in biodegradable pots; you’ll transplant the pot and all into the garden, and the pot will disintegrate.
- Where spring is long and wet, plant seeds in raised garden beds.
- To speed germination, soak seeds in water overnight before planting.
- Sow seeds 1 inch deep (slightly deeper if the soil is dry) and about 2 inches apart. Do not thin.
- Plant rows 7 inches apart.
- Regarding crop rotation, do not plant peas in the same place more than once every four years.
- Like those of other legumes, pea roots fix nitrogen in the soil, making it available for other plants.
- In terms of fertilizer, peas need phosphorus and potassium, but excess nitrogen will encourage foliage growth instead of flowers or pods. Learn more about soil amendments.
- Bush peas can reach 18 to 30 inches tall. Pole types can grow at least 4 to 6 feet tall. Both types benefit from support (especially bush peas above 2 feet and all pole peas). Install thin tree branches or twiggy sticks (pea sticks), trellises, chicken wire, strings, or netting before plants establish their shallow roots. See instructions on how to build trellises and supports for peas.
- Water to keep the soil moist. If seeds wash out of the soil, poke them back into it.
Peas on St. Patrick’s Day
It’s an old American tradition to plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day! Our retired editor, Janice, shows us her trick on how to plant peas in early spring if there’s snow!
St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the traditional day for planting peas, one of the easiest plants to grow. It’s said to bring luck come harvest time. And it makes sense: Soil is typically thawed and workable, and these veggies prefer to get started in chilly spring weather.
Shelling Peas: Also known as garden or sweet peas, these are the most common types of peas available. Some good varieties to try include:
- ‘Green Arrow’: 2- to 3-foot vines; no support required; high yields; tolerant of mildew and Fusarium wilt
- ‘Lincoln’: 2- to 3-foot vines; no support required; tolerant of mildew and Fusarium wilt
- The classic ‘Wando’: suitable for freezing
- ‘Thomas Laxton’: high sugar content
- ‘Progress No. 9’: good disease resistance
- ‘Little Marvel’: grows only 15 inches tall
Snap Peas: You eat the entire tender pod of snap peas. Some good varieties to try are:
- ‘Sugar Ann’: vines grow only 2 feet tall, no support required.
- ‘Sugar Snap’: the original (Calvin’s), just brought back; carried only by Johnny’s Selected Seeds
- ‘Early Snap’: an early-maturing version produces peas 10 to 14 days earlier than ‘Sugar Snap’
- ‘Super Sugar Mel’: produces 4-inch-long, very sweet pods
Snow Peas: Common in Chinese cooking, these flat-podded peas have edible pods. Some good varieties to try include:
- ‘Mammoth Melting Sugar’: 4- to 5-foot vines; stringless pods; wilt tolerant
- ‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’: grows only 2-1/2 feet tall
- ‘Snowbird’: resistant to fusarium wilt
Harvesting
How do you know when peas are ready to be picked?
Most varieties of peas are ready to harvest 60 to 70 days after planting. Peas mature quickly, so check daily once you see the flowers in bloom.
- Pick snow peas when the delicate pods begin to show immature seeds inside.
- Gather snap peas when the pods become plump yet are still glossy and filled with sweet-tasting peas.
- Pick shell peas before the pods become waxy.
How to Harvest Peas
- Harvest peas in the morning after the dew has dried; they are crispiest then.
- Harvest regularly to encourage more pods to develop.
- Use two hands when you pick peas to avoid damaging the plant. Hold the vine with one hand and pull the pods off with the other.
- Peas are at the peak of flavor immediately after harvest.
- Pea pods that have hardened or turned a dull color are overmature. Mature plants usually stop producing and die back in hot summer weather.
- If you missed your peas’ peak period, you can still pick, dry, and shell them for use in winter soups.
How to Store Peas
- Store peas in the refrigerator for about 5 days. Place in paper bags, then wrap in plastic.
- Or, freeze peas: Shell sweet peas, blanch, immerse in cold water, drain, and pack in sealed containers.
- De-string/trim snow or snap peas and prepare as above.
Cooking Notes
Ideally, peas should be used when freshly picked as they rapidly toughen and will lose their sweetness.
Green peas can be eaten raw as a snack or in salads. Peas are also excellent in pasta, soups, casseroles, stir-fries, and sautés. Cooking times vary greatly depending on when the green peas were harvested. Young, small ones require less cooking than older, starchy ones.
To steam, put 1 inch of water in a pot, bring to a boil, place a steaming basket in the pan, slowly add peas to the steaming basket, and cover with a lid. Steam for about 2 minutes. Or, to microwave, put 2 tablespoons of water in a microwavable dish and cover. Microwave on high, checking every 2 minutes for doneness. Add butter and salt as desired.
Interestingly, the pea tendrils are also edible! Harvest these young pea shoots when they are 12 to 18 inches out of the ground. As with peas, eat the tender shoots soon after harvesting. Add to salads or into stir-fries at the end of cooking.
Catherine Boeckmann
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I have a beautiful 5' fence in the middle of my garden, which is thick and full of pea vines, but very few peas. They have always produced well in winter (in Arizona), organic, heavily composted soil. Last year I added about 300 lbs. of coffee grounds to the soil and did not solarize during the summer, as usual. Would either of these affect the production of peas? It looks like every seed germinated and flourished.
Peas do not need—or usually want—”good” soil, which is to say the kind of soil that so many other plants love—composted soil. Peas perform best with little attention. The coffee grounds, especially such a quantity may have upset the balance of your soil, adding nitrogen which encourages leaf/foliage growth. Sounds like a little too much of a good thing. In future, compost the coffee grounds and use the results on other plants.
I am currently germinating my peas (don't ask why, it's science-related) and I very stupidly put them in a water temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think I should restart or is there a chance that the peas could sprout?
Hmm. 102F is lukewarm water. I’m not sure if the seeds will be happy, but if they were not in the warm water for long, some may still sprout. However, I think you might get reduced germination rates. Peas do not germinate well above 85F soil temperature. Being exposed to overly warm temperatures may also cause other physiological changes. For the sake of a science experiment, it might be better to start over. You could still test these as well, too, to compare (might be an interesting experiment in itself). Good luck!
i have a small pea plant growing in a small pot and i am wondering if they get really big so i know to transplant it soon.
Although peas don’t like their roots disturbed, and therefore usually are planted directly in the garden, gardeners have had success growing them indoors and then transplanting out when weather is more cooperative. To do this, there are several methods, one of the most common being starting the seeds in peat pots which can then be transplanted, pot and all, into the garden; the pot will disintegrate over time, which lessens the disturbance to plant roots. Another method is described here:
http://www.almanac.com/video/get-growing-early-peas
How big a pot you’ll need and when you’ll need to transplant will depend on the variety of pea, the size of the current pot, and whether you plan to grow your peas outside or if they will be completely container-grown. In general, bush peas can grow about 18 or so inches high. There are also those that grow up to about 24 or 30 inches. Pole types can grow 4 to 6 feet, or more, and will need support. You can transplant peas into the garden any time after they are 4 inches tall; or about 4 to 6 weeks after starting seeds. Place in the garden no earlier than 4 weeks before the last expected spring frost.
Do older peas or beans germinate better in warmer soils?, soaked ? inoculated?
Have had some luck with warmer soils on non soaked or inoculated beans and peas.
I’m not sure if an inoculant would help the seed to sprout; it’s my guess that it is more to help the plant once it forms roots (which is where the nitrogen-fixing bacteria make their home). However, soaking and warmth often can encourage older seeds that are still viable to sprout. You might try soaking the seeds overnight in warm (not hot) water, and then planting in warm soil. Beans especially like soil temps around 80 to 85F. Peas like soil temps around 75F. Good luck!
May you please help us find the Author of this internet article and date of publication? This article is good for my school science fair but I cannot find the Bibliography Resources. - Thank You
“The Old Farmer’s Almanac” is the author. This article is constantly updated so you could use the current year as the retrieval date. This is a Web site so you wouldn’t follow the traditional reference style. Use the article title in double quotes, and then add the URL (link) of this page.
