Growing Peas in your Backyard Garden

Growing peas in your garden is one of the easiest things you can do in your backyard garden. This post will tell you everything you need to know about growing peas.

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The gardening season is getting so close I can almost feel it!!  As the first of March approaches I start getting really excited to get planting!  And one of the very first seeds we plant in the garden is peas.  So it’s time to get off our tails and get planning.  Here’s everything you have ever wanted to know about growing peas.

Growing Peas in Your Garden

Types of Peas

There are 4 main types of peas, Shelling (sometimes called garden peas), Snow, Snap, and dry.

Shelling Peas

Shelling peas are the type we are all used to.  These peas are grown strictly for the “pea” inside the pods and the pods themselves are tough and uneatable.  Shelling peas are the most work at harvest time because you have to shell them to remove the peas from the pod.  This is a pretty manual process and is best done with a couple of adults and 3 or 4 kids.  The adults are there to keep the kids from eating all the peas!!

Snap Peas

Snap peas have a more tender pod that can be eaten, but the pods are allowed to develop like a shelling pea so that the peas inside are mature as well.  I think snap peas are perfect for stir fry!!

Snow Peas

Snow peas are grown for their edible pods.  They are usually harvested while the pods are still small and the peas inside are immature.  Snow peas usually have a very broad flat pod.  They are great in stir fry’s but don’t forget to eat them raw as well.  Our kids love May and June because they can have a big handful of raw snow peas for lunch every day!

Drying Peas

Drying peas are grown for the peas.  They are allowed to stay on the plant for much longer than the other types of peas so that the pods and peas dry out.  The peas are then shelled and are great in soups.

Peas are Cool Weather Veggies

Peas are a cool-weather veggie.  So what does that mean?  Peas prefer temperatures between 55° and 75° F.  Peas really start to suffer when the temperatures get above 80° F.  You need to get them in early so that they can mature before the real heat starts!  Maturity dates for most varieties of peas range between 60 to 70 days from germination, so use that as a guide when planting.  Our March 15^th planted peas are usually ready to eat towards the end of May through mid-June.

Soil & Sun Requirement

Growing peas prefer well-drained soil, with lots of organic matter.  Work 2 inches of compost into the top 4 to 6 inches of the soil in the fall, then the bed is ready for planting as soon as things dry out in the spring.

Peas also need full sun.  Be careful to avoid parts of the garden that are shaded by trees or structures while the sun is still low in the sky during the spring.

Planting Times for Peas

Because of their love for cool weather, you will traditionally be growing peas in the early spring.   In our zone 5/6 garden, we target March 15^th each year.  That, of course, depends a lot on the weather and soil conditions.  Peas will germinate with soil temperatures as low as 40°F but they prefer soil temperatures between 55°and 65°F.  If your soil temps are between 55° and 65° then your seeds should germinate in about 7 to 10 days.  Generally accepted planting times for peas in the northern hemisphere are between March 15^th and May 1^st.  That, of course, depends a lot on your latitude and elevation.  In warmer climates, peas can be planted in the fall and grown over the winter and planted again early in the spring.

I bought this little soil thermometer for only $10.(Affiliate Link)  It comes in really handy for telling me if it is time to get seeds planted.  In this photo, it’s reading 40°F my bare minimum for germination.  But 40° means slow germination, so here’s a little trick I learned in my master gardener class.

Cover the bed you are going to be planting in with clear plastic for a couple of weeks before you plant.  This will bring the soil temps way up and also keep the soil from getting soaked in a late winter snowstorm.  Be sure to use clear plastic, it lets the UV rays into the soil and keeps the heat in.

How to Plant Peas?

The night before you plan on planting your peas I suggest you soak the peas in water.  This softens up the dried-up seeds and promotes quicker germination.

Plant your peas ½ to 1 inch deep and about 1 inch apart.  Most growing guides recommend planting in rows 12-24 inches apart.  My personal opinion is 24 inches is way too far apart.  12 inch spacing between rows is perfect and allows the plants in the rows to support each other as they grow.

Snap peas and Snow Peas are usually taller growing and require some support.  I will often just use my tomato cages for my snow peas as the peas will be done long before the tomatoes need the cages.  Shelling or garden peas are usually self-supporting but if you have an extra fence or trellis they will appreciate the support.  I have found that at the very end of their production the plants will fall over.  If you want to help avoid this you can simply run some garden twine between some sticks to offer them some support.

Caring for your peas

Weeding is important; keep those weeds pulled!  This is especially important during the first 6 weeks of growth when the plants will be most susceptible to competition from weeds.  Mulches, compost, or even grass clippings will help with weeds.

Frequent water is vital for peas.  Be sure you keep the soil moist.  The nice thing about growing peas is Mother Nature usually helps with the watering in the spring, but be sure to watch them close between rainstorms.  Water is most important while the peas are flowering.  Be sure to keep the soil moist during the time the pea pods are forming.

If you have amended your soil well with compost and other organic materials you shouldn’t need to fertilize your peas.  In fact, I never fertilize with nitrogen fertilizer.  Nitrogen will cause excessive leaf growth and will often delay flowering risking your entire crop.  Peas actually take nitrogen from the air and “fix” it in their roots via the aid of soil bacteria in their roots.  Because of this, planting peas will often improve the soil for the crops that follow.

When do I Harvest Peas?

The appearance of flowers on your pea plants is the indication that your harvest is coming soon.  You should expect your first harvests about 3 weeks after the flowers appear.  Be sure to harvest often, every day in fact.  With most pea varieties the harvest will last about 3 weeks.

The first week will have a small amount harvested, followed by a week or so of huge harvests, which is then followed by a few days of a low trailing off harvest.  You can, of course, extend your pea harvest by staggering your plantings by a few weeks.  But I prefer to get it all over with at once!!  Expect about 20 pounds of shelled peas from 100 feet of plants.  So, for example, the bed I showed you above is 25 feet long.  We plant 3 rows of peas in that bed and end up with around 12 to 15 pounds.

You begin to harvest your shelling and snap peas when the pods have swelled to almost a round shape.  You want the pods to be full and solid but not bulging.  The photo above shows the various stages of pod development.  From left to right:  First on the left, this one is just getting started way to soon to pick, second from the left is close but not quite ready, the middle one is perfect, second from the right is still okay but is getting a little old, the last one the right is too old if you’ve waited this long you’ll be disappointed.

Preserving Your Harvest

Of course, you want to eat as many of your peas fresh as you can!!  There is nothing better than a freshly picked pea either eaten raw or cooked.  But peas are actually one of the easiest veggies to preserve.  Peas can be canned (but you MUST use a pressure cooker), dried or our favorite frozen.

For shelling peas, we simply shell them, wash them and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then put them in a bag after they are frozen.  Follow this link for a quick tutorial on how we freeze peas.

For Snap and Snow peas, you must first blanch them for 2-3 minutes in a steamer before freezing.

Pests and Diseases

Peas are actually one of the least disease & pest-prone plants I know.  I’ve never really had any problems with peas.  They are however susceptible to a few pests and diseases.  If you would like more information about these pests and diseases I will refer you to this excellent publication by Utah State University.

Birds can be a big problem for growing peas.  You are growing peas early in the spring when there is not a lot of food for the birds.  I have seen birds dig up newly planted seeds.  Also, birds will eat the newly sprouted seedlings.  In our area Quail seem to be the biggest offenders.  You can easily deter them by covering your beds with a good fabric row cover until the plants have grown to about 6 inches in height.

A few other thoughts on growing peas

Peas are self-pollinating and pollination on most varieties actually occurs before the plant’s flower.  Because of this peas are one of the easiest plants to save seeds.  Very little, if any, cross-pollination occurs when growing peas.  If you have planted an open-pollinated or heirloom variety you can simply let some of the peas ripen on the plant and save them for use next year!

You can also try growing peas in the fall.  Your success will vary a lot with fall crops.  For us here in Utah planting time for fall peas is between July 15^th and August 1^st.  That’s a very hot time of year for us so the plants are usually under a lot of stress.  That causes our crop size and overall quality to be pretty poor.  Most years we don’t bother (although we do plant snow peas some years).  Also, we always seem to go from summer to winter and pretty much skip fall around here, so some years we don’t even have time for the pods to mature.  But if you live in an area that has long cool falls then, by all means, plant a big crop of peas in the fall as well!

I’ve given you the basics of growing peas, so get out there and get your peas planted.

Recipes using Peas

We have a few favorite recipes that we cook quite often that use our garden-grown peas.

Creamed Peas & Potatoes – This one is 100% whole food plant-based!  You will love this simple recipe.

Garden Vegetable Soup – This yummy soup is loaded with garden veggies, including fresh peas!

Do Peas Need to Climb?

Most varieties of shelling peas and do okay without any type of trellis.  But having said that they will do better with some type of support, even if it is a short piece of fence to help keep them from falling over when they get heavy.

Both Sugar Snap Peas and Snow Peas will want to climb on something.  Both varieties can reach as high as 5 or 6 feet so a simple trellis is perfect.  I have also found that tomato cages are a great place for peas to climb.

How Long Does It Take To Grow Peas?

Most varieties take between 60 to 70 days to start producing pods.  The bulk of your harvest will happen between 70 to 85 days from germination.  I have found that Snow Peas are the quickest to have pods at harvestable size.

Are Peas Easy To Grow?

Yes!  Peas are one of the simplest vegetables to grow in a backyard garden.  They require little care other than a little weeding and watering.  Once the plants are up and growing they really don’t require much and don’t have a lot of issues with pests or diseases.

Do Peas Keep Producing?

Peas, unlike their close cousin’s beans, do not produce a continual harvest.  While the temperatures are cool the plants will continue to put out flowers, but once the temperatures rise to the 80’s flower production will stop and the plants will finish maturing what fruit they have on the plant, and then they will stop producing. Then the plants will die back.