Growing Peas

Pisum sativum : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    P P P              

(Best months for growing Peas in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 75°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 2 - 3 inches apart
  • Harvest in 9-11 weeks. Pick the pods every day to increase production.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Potatoes

Your comments and tips

19 Jul 10, Dion (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I find beer traps are an excellent prevention for snail and slug damage. Snails will crawl in overnight, they can't seem to resist, and just don't wake up. Just put around a few containers of beer, in round take away containers or something similar. I use left over beer, and dregs from home brew. For slugs, I have found that adding salt to the beer works more effectively. You will need to top them up after rain etc.
31 Jul 10, Greg (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
That is an excellent way of keeping snails and slugs at bay but i find i don't have any left over beer at the end of the day, ha ha. The salt in the beer (solution) sounds interesting, i'll give it a go.
18 Jul 10, Tania (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi all, My snow peas are going great but my regular peas look like they are being eaten by something. What would be eating them and how do I prevent it? I have just read that putting crushed eggshell around them will stop slugs from eating them as they cant crawl on the sharp shell but my partner said he has seen a slug on a razor blade edge before so I dont know if it will work. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance, Tania
15 Sep 10, Dave (Australia - temperate climate)
Tania, I have had success with coffee grounds placed around the plants, the snails have problems with it sticking to their mucous. Most coffee shops are willing to let you have their grounds.
27 Jun 10, andrea (Australia - tropical climate)
Would it be too much to ask that you add something to the vegetables growing details. I wish you could add the type of bug or disease that bothers them and how to deal with them organically. I came across a site that identified the problems but gave no treatment which seemed to me to be rather pointless.
20 Jun 10, Andre (Australia - temperate climate)
Don't forget to not let the new planted seeds to get too wet just after you plant. Try and keep them away from a lot of water until the little green growth starts coming thru the soil like broad beans
11 Jun 10, Matty (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
could someone please tell me a to get a good crop peas?
10 Nov 09, Barb (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I'm in Tassie where it's been wet and freezing all winter. It's only just warming up now - is it too late to sow some peas?
02 Aug 09, Sam (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I am still a novice gardener, and new to vegetable gardening, but have had great success with Chilli, Mint, Parsley, Basil, Chives, Oregano, Rosemary, Shallots, Tomatoes and Leeks. I have a 1m by 2m spare garden plot that faces North East, but our house blocks the sunlight and the area only manages to get about an hour or two of filtered sunlight a day about 2pm-3.30pm depending on the season (winter now). Are there any vegetables that don't need much sunlight to grow well? I like Potatoes if that's an option... It's such a shame to have a spare fertile area (worms and all!!) go to waste. Any thoughts or comments will be much appreciated. Thanks, Sam
30 May 10, Diana (Australia - temperate climate)
Fruit vegetables need a lot of sunlight. However, some leafy vegetables can tolerate part shade. I had some trouble like you do and tried to grow lettuce, Pak Choi, Choy Sum. They grow but takes longer time to mature than plants that receive more sunlight. My parsley and coriander like the shade. Some carrots variety also tolerate partial shade.
Showing 161 - 170 of 196 comments

Lack of sunshine could lead to growth of "Powdery Mildew". Spraying whole milk controls it. Pottasium bi carbonate is also helpful, but higher concentrations can cause leaf burn

- Mohan

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply


All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate App

Put Gardenate in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use Gardenate and subscribe to the free Gardenate planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About Gardenate | Contact us | Privacy Policy

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.