Pea
Garden Pea, English Pea, Snow Pea, Snap Pea, Shelling Pea, Common-Pea
Cool-season crop — sow 6–8 weeks before last frost (soil 45°F). Provide trellis for climbing types. Peas fix nitrogen; don't overfeed nitrogen. Harvest snap/snow peas when pods fill out but before fully round. Stop producing when temperatures exceed 75°F; plant again in late summer for fall harvest.
- Germination
- 7–14 days
- Soil temperature
- 7–24 °C
- Harvest after sowing
- 55–70 days
- Spacing
- 10–15 cm
When to plant pea
Sow outdoors 2–6 weeks before your last spring frost.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow pea
- 1
Sow early
Peas like cool weather. Sow 2.5 cm deep and 10–15 cm apart as soon as the soil can be worked, usually 6–8 weeks before the last frost; light frosts won't hurt them.
- 2
Support
Put up netting or twiggy sticks at sowing for climbing types. Bush types manage without.
- 3
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist from flowering through pod fill. Peas fix their own nitrogen, so they need little feeding.
- 4
Harvest
55–70 days from sowing. Pick shelling peas when pods are plump and bright green, snap peas when full and sweet, and mangetout before the seeds swell. Production stops in heat above about 24 °C, so sow again in late summer for an autumn crop.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
4–24 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
65 days
Plant spacing
5 cm
Ideal soil pH
6.5–7
How Tomatograph watches your pea
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for powdery mildew, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Pea questions
- When should I plant pea?
- Sow outdoors 2–6 weeks before your last spring frost.
- How long do pea seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 7–14 days at a soil temperature of 7–24 °C.
- How long until I can harvest pea?
- About 55–70 days after sowing, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant pea?
- Allow 10–15 cm between plants.
- What grows well with pea?
- Good neighbours include carrot, cucumber, lettuce, radish.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).