Peas

About it

Kind

Vegetables · Annual

Family

Fabaceae

Hardiness zones

Zones 2–11

Frost

Hardy — takes a hard frost

Sun

Full sun

Spacing

2 in apart, rows 18 in

Soil depth in a pot

At least 12 in

Soil pH

6–7.5

Water

About every 7 days

When to plant

Sow outdoors

Sow 4 weeks before the last frost

Window

Open for about 3 weeks

Soil temperature

Germinates from 40°F

Ready

About 60 days from sowing

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Varieties people grow

• Green Arrow— shelling pea with long, well-filled pods
• Little Marvel— sweet shelling pea on short vines
• Oregon Sugar Pod II— flat snow pea; resists mildew
• Sugar Snap— climbing snap pea; the whole pod is edible
• Wando— shelling pea that stands more heat than most

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Peas yet.

Safety for pets and children

• Cats No information in our sources
• Dogs No information in our sources
• Horses No information in our sources
• Children No information in our sources

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

• Aphids Insect

  What you'll see. Colonies of small soft-bodied insects curl and discolour leaves and leave them sticky.

  What helps. Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water and pull weeds that host them. Lady beetles, lacewings and other natural enemies often bring numbers down on their own, so check again before doing more.

  Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗

• Cutworms Insect

  What you'll see. Young pea plants are cut off at the soil line.

  What helps. Clear weeds and old plant debris before planting, since the moths lay eggs there. Search the soil within a foot of a damaged plant in the evening and remove the curled caterpillars.

  Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗

• Powdery mildew Disease

  What you'll see. In hot, dry spells a white powdery growth can cover the leaves, stems and pods.

  What helps. Give plants room so air moves between them, keep weeds down, and choose resistant varieties where the disease has been a problem.

  Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗

• White mold Disease

  Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

  What you'll see. Stems turn pale, dry and brittle and the leaves above them wilt, and in damp weather fluffy white growth with small hard black bodies appears on the stems.

  What helps. Space plants and water with drip or soaker hoses so they dry quickly. Remove infected plants as soon as you see them without shaking loose the black bodies, and compost them only in a pile that gets hot.

  Source: UMN Extension ↗,UMN Extension (2) ↗

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

• direct sow weeks rel last frost cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class, a class-wide figure: as early as 2-4 weeks before the last frost. UNH (New Hampshire) says only 'as soon as soil thaws'
• family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Pisum sativum L.
• frost hardiness cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class lists peas
• maturity counted from cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 60 days is inside NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 54-72 (from seed) and near CSU #720 (Colorado) 65 (unmarked)
• maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 60 days is inside NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 54-72 (from seed) and near CSU #720 (Colorado) 65 (unmarked)
• min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 1: peas germination minimum 40°F
• Most facts UMN Extension ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
• sow window weeks cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) 2-4 weeks before last frost: weeks -4 to -2
• water frequency days UMN Extension ↗ UMN "Growing peas": "Soak the soil when watering, to a depth of at least one inch each week during the growing season." and "Sandy soils may need watering more often."