Garden pea pods hanging on vines trained up a bamboo trellis
How to grow

Garden peas

Takes a hard frost. Sow outdoors 2 to 4 weeks before your last frost; sow in fall 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost. First harvest 60 to 70 days from sowing.

Photo: “-2022-06-13 Forming garden pea pods (Pisum sativum), Trimingham, Norfolk” by Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

  • Full sun6–8 hours or more
  • 1–2 in apartRows 12–24 in
  • 60–70 daysFrom sowing
  • Soil 40 °F +pH 6.0–7.5
  • 1 in a weekEven watering
  • HardyTakes a hard frost

Your dates

Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest garden peas where you live, from your own frost dates.

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From seed to harvest

  1. SowSeed goes inWeek 0
  2. SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
  3. VinesRunners spread outWeek 3–5
  4. FlowersFlowers openWeek 6–8
  5. PodsPods fill outWeek 8–9
  6. HarvestReady to pickWeek 9–10

How to plant and grow

  1. Sow early

    Plant as soon as the soil thaws and can be worked in spring. Peas sprout in soil above 40 °F and grow best in cool weather.

  2. Sow the seed

    Plant seeds about 1 inch deep, 1 to 2 inches apart, in rows 12 to 24 inches apart. Tall types can go in a single row along a trellis.

  3. Give tall types support

    Set a fence or netting at planting for vining varieties. Short bush types can stand on their own or lean on each other in wide rows.

  4. Water at bloom

    Soak the soil about once a week if rain is short, aiming for roughly 1 inch. Moisture matters most during flowering and pod fill.

  5. Pick on time

    Harvest pods when they are plump and full but before peas turn hard, about 3 weeks after bloom. Quality drops within a few days.

  6. Plant a fall crop

    In late summer, sow again about 8 to 10 weeks before first fall frost. Fall yields are usually smaller than spring yields.

Common problems

A green pea aphid on a plant stem
Photo: “Pea aphid (6851672066) (2)” by Andy Murray, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

Pea aphidPest

What you'll see: Clusters of large, pale green aphids on pea tips and pods. They can spread viruses that stunt and yellow the plants.

Prevent

  • Plant peas early, before aphid numbers climb.
  • Grow virus-resistant varieties where offered.
  • Use row cover on young plants.

Organic options

  • Wash aphids off with a strong stream of water.
  • Insecticidal soap, neem, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).

Conventional options

  • Same as organic.

Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.

A squash leaf coated with white powdery mildew
Photo: “Powdery mildew 9” by Dmitry Brant, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.

Powdery mildewDisease

What you'll see: White, powdery patches on the tops of leaves and on stems. Leaves yellow and dry, and fruit may ripen poorly.

Prevent

  • Grow resistant varieties.
  • Give plants sun and space for air flow.
  • Remove badly infected leaves, and clear debris after harvest.

Organic options

  • Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate, from the first spots. Sulfur can burn some vine crops in heat, and never use it near an oil spray.
  • Neem oil. Look for OMRI Listed products.

Conventional options

  • Myclobutanil or propiconazole, if the crop is on the label.

Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.

Root rotDiseaseNo spray helps

What you'll see: Plants yellow, wilt and die back even though the soil is wet. Roots are brown, soft and few, and bean seedlings may rot at the soil line.

Prevent

  • Plant in well-drained soil; grow raspberries on beds raised about a foot.
  • Do not overwater.
  • Plant beans and peas in a new spot each year, and sow them only once the soil has warmed.
  • Start with healthy plants, and do not move soil from a sick bed to a healthy one.

Organic options

  • Remove and dispose of dying plants and clear crop debris after harvest.

Conventional options

  • None. Fungicides have not proven effective in home gardens; drainage is the fix.
A greasy grey-brown black cutworm caterpillar
Photo: USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

CutwormsPestSprays are rarely needed

What you'll see: Young plants are cut off at or just above the soil overnight. Fat gray or brown caterpillars curl into a C shape in the soil nearby.

Prevent

  • Put a cardboard or foil collar around each transplant, pushed a few inches into the soil.
  • Till the bed before planting, and pull weeds.
  • Keep a strip of bare, dry soil along the garden edge.

Organic options

  • Dig gently around cut plants and destroy the caterpillars.

Conventional options

  • Usually not needed in a home garden. Collars work better than sprays.

Fusarium wiltDiseaseNo spray helps

What you'll see: Lower leaves yellow, often on one side of the plant, and the plant wilts and dies. A cut stem shows brown streaks inside.

Prevent

  • Grow resistant varieties; on tomatoes look for F on the label.
  • Buy healthy transplants and clean seed.
  • Rotate for several years; the fungus lives a long time in soil.
  • Keep soil pH near neutral and avoid too much nitrogen.

Organic options

  • Pull and remove infected plants.

Conventional options

  • None. No spray controls fusarium wilt.

Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.

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Sources

Planting dates and growing facts checked against these university extension and USDA pages:

Growth-stage drawings: TallyTill.

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