Vegetable

Growing peas

Pisum sativum · Fabaceae
By Hannah Price · Updated 12 November 2026

Peas calendar

Peas sowing, planting and harvest calendar (UK)
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sow indoors		Sow indoors in February	Sow indoors in March	Sow indoors in April
Sow outside			Sow outside in March	Sow outside in April	Sow outside in May	Sow outside in June
Plant				Plant in April	Plant in May
Harvest						Harvest in June	Harvest in July	Harvest in August

Timings suit lowland southern and central Britain and most of Ireland. In northern England and Scotland, or in a cold spot, start two to three weeks later in spring and finish earlier in autumn.

Overview

Garden peas are shelled, while mangetout and sugar snaps are eaten pod and all. All of them are cool-weather crops that grow fast in spring and slow down in summer heat. Freshly picked peas are sweeter than any frozen ones, and the shoots and tendrils make a tasty salad if you sow a tray just for cutting.

Varieties to try

'Kelvedon Wonder' is a short, early pea that tolerates later sowings well. 'Hurst Green Shaft' gives long pods packed with peas over a long period. 'Onward' is a dependable maincrop. For mangetout, 'Oregon Sugar Pod' crops heavily, and 'Sugar Ann' is a compact sugar snap that suits containers. Taller heritage varieties such as 'Alderman' need tall supports but give lots of pods.

Soil and site

Best soil: Moisture-retentive soil improved with compost, not too rich in nitrogen.

Choose an open site, ideally with some shade at midday during hot summers. Peas fix their own nitrogen, so avoid fresh manure, which encourages leaves over pods. Soil that holds moisture is important, as dry roots quickly lead to poor crops and mildew.

Sowing and planting

Outdoors, sow 4 cm deep from March in mild areas once the soil has warmed a little, and repeat every three weeks until June. For an early start, sow into a length of plastic guttering filled with compost in a cold greenhouse, then slide the whole row into a shallow trench outside a month later. Cover sowings with netting, as birds and mice are keen on seeds and seedlings.

Spacing: Sow in a flat-bottomed drill 15 cm wide, seeds 5–7 cm apart in three staggered lines.

Care

Put supports in place at sowing time: pea netting on posts, or twiggy hazel or birch sticks pushed into the row. Most peas cling with tendrils once they find something to grip. Water well once flowering starts and again as pods swell. Mulch to keep roots cool, and hoe carefully, as roots are shallow.

Harvesting and storing

Pick shelling peas once the pods are well filled but still bright green; taste one to check. Mangetout are best when flat with the seeds just visible, and sugar snaps when they are round and crisp. Pick every couple of days with two hands to avoid pulling out the plant. Freeze any surplus quickly.

Common problems

Powdery mildew is common in late summer, especially on dry soil, so make early sowings and water regularly. Slugs and birds attack seedlings. Pea moth caterpillars inside pods mostly hit midsummer crops; early and late sowings often escape them, and fine mesh keeps moths off.

Read more on the problems that most often hit peas:

Not sure what you're looking at? Try diagnosing it by symptom.

Month-by-month reminders

Jobs for peas come round in February, March, April, May, June, July and August. Each month page lists the rest of the garden's jobs for the same weeks.

Grow alongside

Sources

Names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; timings and spacings reflect UK growing practice and were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.