How To Grow Peas Easily

Peas really are a wonderful crop to grow in your vegetable garden.

They obviously taste delicious fresh from the pod but also have a mass of pretty white flowers and feed the soil for other crops like tomatoes.

So in this big guide to growing peas I'll take you through everything you need to know for a huge harvest including :

1. When to plant peas
2. How to sow peas
3. Planting indoors & outdoors
4. Growing peas in pots
5. Watering & feeding peas
6. Great companion plants
7. PLUS easy and attractive ways to support peas on a trellis.

I'll also cover how to plant peas in October for over wintering and early spring crops.

I will also share my top tips on what might eat your peas and what's wrong with your peas if they look sickly.

Do save for quick reference.

Best Month To Plant Peas

Peas are primarily plants of spring and early summer. They can tolerate cold but don't like hot sun. Pea seeds germinate best between :

• 50 - 72 Fahrenheit
• 10 - 22 Centigrade.

So we want to get peas in as early as we can in spring for a bumper harvest before scorching hot summer days.

There are 3 key months to achieve this :

• February
• March
• October

Planting Peas In February

You can start planting peas indoors or in a greenhouse as early as February.

Once germinated pea seedlings can tolerate cooler temperatures so can be planted out under DIY cloche or plant protection in late February and March.

Use the cloche or plant protection to warm the soil before planting out.

If you plant peas in February it is best to choose smooth rather than wrinkled seeds as they are more cold resistant.

Planting Peas In March

In the US zones 6-9 and in the southern UK you can sow pea seeds directly outdoors in March or a month before the last frost date in your area.

Warm your soil with a DIY cloche or plant protection before sowing.

Planting Peas In October

You can sow peas with protection in October which gives them time to germinate before temperatures drop.

October planted peas get a great head start for the spring and have worked out very well for me in my garden. Typically over wintered peas will start flowering once temperature is over 10c/50f and can be ready to harvest just 2 to 3 weeks after flowering.

Early flowering plants can deliver bumper crops of peas through late March, April and May with harvests ending just when it is time to get tomatoes planted out. This makes for great succession planting as the tomatoes love the nitrogen peas fix in the soil.

One note of caution however before you start planting peas in October : I am gardening in London which doesn't have long sub-zero periods or fall below 20f/-7c. October planting won't work in colder climates in e.g. zones 3 or 4 or the Scottish highlands.

Pea seedlings can tolerate temperatures as low as -6 but I protect mine from sharp frosts and snow with sheets of fleece and plastic covers.

How To Sow Pea Seeds

Sowing pea seeds couldn't be simpler : just pop them in soil 1 inch deep.

Peas typically germinate in 1-2 weeks and quickly produce sturdy seedlings. Germination can be 3-4 weeks outside.

Sowing Peas Indoors

If sowing peas indoors in February or early March sow your seeds in a small pot or DIY seed tray at least 2 inches deep. Sow one seed per section.

Once germinated rotate pot or tray daily for even growth of your seedlings.

Peas are typically ready to plant out 3-4 weeks after sowing. If roots start escaping from the pot and it is still too cold to plant out, re-pot in larger pots.

Sowing Peas Outdoors

Warm soil with DIY cloche for a week or so before sowing pea seeds outside.

Peas need something e.g. a trellis to grow up but you don't need to sow peas in final growing positions as seedlings under 6 inches are easily moved.

Plant peas 2-3 inches apart.

Soaking Pea Seeds

Some gardeners claim peas should be soaked overnight before planting to speed up seed germination.

I must confess I never have and research suggests soaked peas may germinate quicker but NOT produce bigger or healthier plants.

So keep it simple. Don't bother.

Growing Peas In Pots

Peas can be grown easily in pots and containers in a small patio garden. Peas are a good option for bucket gardening as they can be moved from sunny spots in early spring to areas with afternoon shade in summer.

But peas do have long roots to feed and stabilise tall stems so dwarf pea varieties can be a better choice in pots.

A typical 5 gallon bucket can support 5 pea plants. Squashing more in reduces yields and increases risk of mildew.

Dwarf Pea Varieties

Good dwarf pea varieties include :

• Tom Thumb
• Kelvedon Wonder
• Oskar
• American Wonder
• Charmette
• Extra Early

Containers for peas should be at least 14 inches tall with good drainage holes.

Support For Peas In Pots

Very small dwarf pea varieties e.g. Tom Thumb only grow to 8 inches and do not need support but others benefit from a bean pole tee-pee in the pot.

Cons Of Growing Peas In Pots

One con of growing peas in pots is that other plants lose the fertilising benefits of peas. Peas fix nitrogen into soil and make great direct compost as they die.

Growing Peas In Raised Beds

Peas grow very well in raised beds which can be easily warmed for early planting with raised bed covers.

You can let other veg in raised beds feed on nitrogen peas fix in soil by :

• Interplanting
• Overlapping crop rotation

Interplanting In Raised Beds

Interplant peas in raised beds with :

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Collards
• Turnip Greens
• Chard
• Kale
• Radishes

Overlapping Crop Rotation

As your peas start to come to an end in early summer you can plant out with them the high summer crops that love nitrogen rich soil such as :

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Aubergines.

As I only have a small garden my tomatoes always have to follow on from my peas which is another reason to get peas going early.

Supporting Peas Vertically

Pea plants do need good support and they need good support very early on.

Pea seedlings start putting out tendrils when just a few inches tall and those tendrils want something to grip onto.

Provide all your seedlings - including those indoors in pots and any outdoors but not in final position - with a couple of 12 inch pea sticks to hang onto.

Ideally, you want peas in their final position with a strong support structure by the time they are 6 inches tall.

There are lots of easy - and attractive - DIY options for supporting peas :

• Pea Sticks
• Pea Tripod
• Pea Tee-Pee
• Flat Pea Trellis
• A Frame Pea Trellis

Pea Sticks

Traditionally peas are grown up two rows of interwoven pea sticks which are 5 or 6 foot slim sticks complete with twigs pruned from trees such as hazel. The twigs give the tendrils something to grab at and grow round.

Pea Tripod

Alternatively you can make a pea tripod. These are good in bigger vegetable gardens with plenty of space around the bed to keep the peas well ventilated to prevent mildew.

Pea Teepee

A pea teepee is very similar to a tripod, it just has more sticks and can be a great option for the tallest, heavy cropping heritage pea varieties like :

• Alderman
• Champion Of England
• Carruther's Purple Podded
• Magnum Bonum
• Lancashire Lad

Flat Pea Trellis

A flat DIY pea trellis is a good option for growing peas at the back of a raised bed companion planted with greens.

The trellis just needs vertical posts which can just be strong bean poles as peas are not heavy plants plus any of these to make netting :

• String
• Garden wire
• Plastic netting
• Chicken wire
• Other sticks square lashed to form a lattice framework.

A-Frame Pea Trellis

An A-frame pea trellis can be a good support option if you have a larger vegetable garden and will be planting a follow-on crop of e.g. tomatoes that will also need good support.

Watering Peas

Garden peas like many spring vegetables need to be kept in soil that is nicely moist but not soggy as otherwise seeds risk rotting.

During spring your peas - once planted out - may not need watering at all.

Once peas start to flower they will need more water so keep an eye on them if the weather is dry. But when watering make sure you water the soil and not the leaves to help to prevent mildew.

Feeding Peas

Some gardeners recommend feeding peas weekly once flowering with a potassium rich potash feed. In my experience you don't need to and constantly feeding fruiting vegetables can really add to costs if you want to grow vegetables on a budget.

But yellowing leaf edges on your peas are a sign of potassium deficiency.

To tackle this you can add to your soil potassium rich waste such as :

• Banana skins
• Coffee grains
• Wood ash.

Or longer term to prevent potassium deficiency in your garden you can :

1. Grow flowering comfrey as a companion plant for peas
2. Make potassium rich compost
3. Make your own organic potassium liquid feed from comfrey.

Harvesting Peas

Peas are typically ready for harvesting 8-10 weeks after germination. Your peas will usually start flowering :

• 4-6 weeks after germination
• When they have 10-12 leaf nodules branching off the main stem.

Pods form as the flowers die back and are ready 2-3 weeks after they appear.

There is a bit of an art in judging whether pea pods are ready to pick. The key things to look for are :

1. Plump swollen pods
2. With green, glossy skin
3. And clearly outlined peas
4. That feel full when you touch them

Harvest peas from the bottom of the plant as these will be ready first. Harvesting promptly will encourage more flowers and a bigger crop.

Don't despair if you do leave your peas too long. They still taste great in a hearty ham and bean soup.

Self Pollinating Peas

Peas are self-pollinating so if you want to protect your peas from birds, cats and other pests you can cover them with butterfly netting without worrying about missing pollinators.

Companion Plants For Peas

The best companion plants for peas include nitrogen loving leafy greens:

• Spinach
• Turnip greens
• Collards
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard.

Peas benefit from being planted with potassium-fixing comfrey and parsley which attracts predators who control the pea moth caterpillars.

Avoid planting peas near these crops :

• Chives
• Garlic
• Onions
• Scallions / spring onions
• Shallots
• Leeks
• Other alliums.

What Is Eating My Peas

Peas can suffer damage from a few common pests including :

• Slugs & Snails
• Pea Moths
• Leaf Miners
• Pea & Bean Weavil
• Pea Aphid

But in my experience, the only big challenge is slugs and snails when the plants are very young. Other pests can all be controlled pretty easily organically in a small vegetable garden.

Slugs & Snails

Unfortunately, slugs and snails do love to eat young pea plants so I always :

1. Protect plants with copper rings
2. Set up DIY slug traps
3. Do regular dusk and rainy day patrols to remove manually any slugs or snails around.

Pea Moths

Pea moth lay eggs on pea flowers and caterpillars then emerge in the pea pod and eat the peas. Butterfly nets can protect peas from pea moths.

Leaf Miners

White trails through pea leaves are a sign of leaf miners, the larvae of small flies. Look out for thin white eggs under leaves and pinch out trails that appear.

Leaf miners don't really harm peas but can ruin companion plants like spinach so if planting together consider covering with fine mesh covers.

Pea & Bean Weavil

Distinctive u-shaped notches around edges of leaves are a sure sign of the pea and bean weavil. You can protect young plants with DIY cloches.

Pea Aphid

Tiny pea aphids are green and pinky red insects that can spread mosaic viruses. The virus gives leaves a mottled mosaic appearance.

Crush pea aphids off as soon as they appear or gently wash off with mild diluted dish soap. Ladybirds will feed on them. Mesh netting can help to prevent them getting onto the plants.

What's Wrong With My Peas : Common Pea Diseases

A number of common pea diseases can undermine your pea crops :

• Mildew
• Foot, Root & Stem Rots
• Pea Cyst Nematodes

But these can be prevented pretty easily and organically with a few simple healthy planting rules.

Mildew

Peas can suffer from both downy mildew and powdery mildew.

Downey Mildew

Downy mildew covers the under side of pea plant leaves with :

1. Predominantly white growth
2. Which may turn black or purple
3. And have brown or yellow spots.

It is the result of poor ventilation and damp plants and best prevented by planting peas in warm, well ventilated beds. Also avoid watering leaves.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew covers both pea leaves and pea pods with white mildew.

It is typically caused by dramatic changes in growing conditions e.g. veering from cold and wet to hot and dry. This is standard spring weather in Britain but you can help prevent it by :

1. Sowing early to avoid hot weather
2. Keeping soil consistently moist
3. Planting in pots that can be moved out of full midday and afternoon sun in late spring and summer.

Foot, Root & Stem Rots

Rotting roots and seeds is typically caused by fungus which is best prevented by rotating crops and companion planting with turnips.

Pea Cyst Nematodes

Small pea plants with yellowing leaves and small pods may have nematodes, microscopic worms that cause yellow cysts to grow on pea roots.

Pull up a sickly plant to check for cysts but be careful not to confuse them with little white nitrogen fixing nodules on pea roots which are meant to be there!

Other causes of yellowing plants are :

1. Late planting
2. Too much hot direct sun
3. Poor quality soil without a good balance of iron, magnesium & potassium.

And there you go. Everything you need to know about how to grow peas easily. Do bookmark or save the tips for reference.

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All images by sloely.com except for these shared under Creative Commons : Container Peas, Pea Aphid, Pea Moth or otherwise linked to source.