Fresh peas eaten straight from the pod barely resemble the tinned version, and rarely make it as far as the kitchen.
Peas are a climbing legume best picked constantly, since a few pods left to mature signals the plant to stop producing more. A second sowing in mid-summer, timed for quick-maturing varieties, can stretch the harvest into autumn.
Sowing & growing calendar
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | Sow in February | Sow in March | Sow in April | Sow in August | ||||||||
| Harvest | Harvest in May | Harvest in June | Harvest in July | |||||||||
| Job | Job in March | Job in April |
Care details
- Sow February – April
Sow direct or in guttering to transplant later.
- Job March – April
Support climbing types with sticks or netting as tendrils reach out.
- Harvest May – July
Pick pods regularly, starting from the bottom of the plant.
- Sow In August
Sow a quick variety now for an autumn crop.
Growing tips & common problems
- Support even 'dwarf' varieties with twiggy sticks or netting — they climb further than the name suggests.
- Pick constantly once cropping starts; a few pods left to mature will stop the whole plant flowering.
- Sow in a length of guttering to transplant as a single strip, protecting seedlings from mice and birds.
- Mangetout and sugar snap are the same crop grown the same way — just picked earlier, while pods are still flat (mangetout) or tender (sugar snap), rather than left to fill out.
Grows well with
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