Peas: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How to sow peas successfully under cover?
For an earlier start, sow your peas under cover in good light in late winter or early spring, depending on your climate. Use deep pots or modules filled with seed compost and ensure water can drain freely.
Place one seed per module, about 5 cm deep, following the packet guidance. Water gently, then keep the compost slightly moist without soaking it. Give the young plants plenty of light.
Gradually acclimatise the plants to outdoor conditions before planting into workable soil. Keep their root balls intact and put supports in place at planting time. Watch for slugs around the young shoots.
Label the containers with the variety and sowing date, noting its eventual height so you can prepare the right support. Moisten the compost before inserting the seeds; water should then drain freely. Cover does not always exclude mice: check for unearthed or missing seeds if germination is patchy. Do not leave seedlings waiting for a long time in containers they have outgrown. Prepare their final positions before taking them out of their pots so the root balls do not dry out during the move.
How to sow peas successfully outdoors?
Sow your peas directly in spring once the soil has warmed sufficiently and is not waterlogged. Adapt the timing to the variety and your climate. Choose a sunny spot with loose, well-drained soil.
Sow about 5 cm deep, leaving roughly 7.5 cm between seeds unless the packet specifies otherwise. Adapt row spacing to the variety's height and the support you plan to use. Cover, firm lightly and water.
Keep the seedbed moist without overwatering. Put supports in place early and watch for slug or bird damage during germination.
Mark the row and label the variety so you can locate the sowing before shoots appear. If seeds disappear, look for signs that mice have taken them rather than immediately adding more water. Bird protection should give emerging shoots room and be securely fixed. Leave a path for picking without treading on the roots. Within your variety's suitable sowing season, several small batches at intervals can spread the harvest instead of putting every seed into the ground on the same day.
How do you plant peas?
Plant your young peas in loose, well-drained soil in a sunny spot. Wait until the soil is workable and gradually acclimatise plants raised under cover to outdoor conditions.
Water the root balls before removing them from their pots. Plant without breaking the roots, at their previous depth, about 7.5 cm apart or as directed on the packet. Adjust row spacing to the variety.
Firm gently and water to settle the soil around the roots. Provide suitable support immediately: twiggy branches for low-growing varieties or a sturdy trellis for climbing ones.
Prepare the holes and support before taking plants out of their containers. Position the support close to the row so the tendrils can reach it without laying the stems over. Gently guide the first shoots towards the twigs or trellis without fastening tight ties around them. Keep access on both sides if the crop will be tall and dense. After planting, check that watering has not uncovered the root balls and that the young plants remain upright and firmly anchored in the soil.
How to care for this plant
-
Install plant supports
Put supports in place when sowing directly or planting out, before stems lengthen. Match the height to the variety: twiggy sticks for short peas, a firm net or trellis for tall varieties. Check stability as they grow.
How do you harvest peas?
Harvest shelling peas when the pods are filled with peas that are still tender. Pick mangetout when their pods are young and flat. Hold the stem with one hand and detach the pod with the other, without pulling on the plant. Pick regularly while plants are producing.
Cook your harvest promptly or keep it briefly in the fridge. To freeze shelled peas, wash them, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute 30 seconds from when the water returns to the boil, then cool immediately in iced water. Drain, pack into freezer containers leaving a little space, and freeze.
Gently part the leaves to find hidden pods, especially near the bottom of the crop. For shelling peas, open a representative pod to check that the peas are still tender: a very swollen pod is not always better. Fleshy sugarsnap pods are picked fuller than flat mangetouts but should remain tender and are eaten whole. Keep the variety label so you do not confuse these harvest stages. Regular picking helps you avoid overlooked pods becoming hard while the rest of the crop continues developing.
Peas
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Seed vegetables
- Botanical Family : Fabaceae (papilionaceae / legumes)
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
- Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
- Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
- Sowing Depth : 2 cm
- Plant Spacing : 4 cm
- Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Self-pollinating
- Propagation : Sowing