How to grow peas

Home-grown, freshly picked peas are sweet and delicious, better than any you can buy in supermarkets. They’re an easy crop to grow, with climbing and dwarf varieties taking up relatively little ground space, and if you sow several batches you can have harvests throughout the summer.

Harvest peas every few days so you catch them at their best – young, sweet and delicious

There are several types of peas (Pisum sativum) – peas for shelling (known as garden peas), as well as mangetouts and sugarsnaps – all grown in a similar way. The plants come in various sizes, from tall varieties that reach 1.8m (6ft), down to dwarf varieties of just 45cm (18in), so there are choices to suit all plots.

Sow small batches every few weeks from early spring, for harvests through summer and into autumn, and pick the pods regularly to encourage more to form. You can also harvest young pea shoots (which taste like peas) to add to salads.

Peas are more varied than you might expect – there are peas for shelling (garden peas), mangetouts and sugarsnaps; green, yellow or purple pods; tall, medium or dwarf plants, early varieties and maincrops. So take your pick – or, better still, why not grow several?

Choose from garden peas, for shelling, or mangetouts and sugarsnaps, for eating whole young pods

• First earlies – sow March to early June, start harvesting in about 12 weeks 

• Second earlies – sow March to June, start harvesting in 13–14 weeks 

• Maincrops – sow March to June, start harvesting in 14–16 weeks

Marrowfat varieties are grown to full maturity and dried, for use in stews and casseroles, or for making mushy peas. Petit pois varieties have very small, sweet-flavoured peas.

Mangetout and sugarsnap varieties, which are picked before the peas mature, are the easiest to grow and tend to produce larger crops. Mangetouts have flat, stringless pods, while sugarsnap peas have fleshy, rounded pods, and both types are eaten pod and all. There are several particularly decorative varieties with purple or yellow pods and mauve or blue flowers.

Some varieties are even sold purely for harvesting pea shoots, rather than pods, and can be grown on a sunny indoor windowsill. 

When choosing varieties, look in particular for those with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), as these performed well in our trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg and our Recommended Varieties below. You’ll also find an array of different peas growing in the veg areas of the RHS gardens, so do visit to compare varieties and pick up growing tips.

Give pea plants a good soaking before and after planting, to help them settle in

Water your young pea plants thoroughly, then plant about 7.5cm (3in) apart, taking care not to disturb the roots. Firm in gently and water well. Arrange in rows as described in Sowing outdoors, above – planting shorter varieties in a triple row, and taller varieties in either a single row or in a double row with 30cm (1ft) between them to allow space for supports. If planting another set of rows, allow plenty of space between, for good air circulation – ideally equal to the expected height of the plants (check the seed packet for details). Then put supports in place, as described below.

If the plants were grown in a length of guttering (see Sowing indoors, above), simply dig out a shallow trench of similar dimensions to the guttering, then carefully slide the compost and plants into it, with minimum disturbance to the roots. Firm in gently, then water well.

Eat your peas as soon as possible after picking, when they’re at their peak of sweetness

The pods of shelling/garden peas are ready to harvest when they’re well filled. Mangetout and sugarsnap peas should be picked when the pods are about 7.5cm (3in) long, just as the peas are starting to develop. Plants will crop for several weeks. Pods develop lower down on the plants first, so work your way up when picking.

Pea shoots can be harvested from the tips of young plants. They taste like fresh peas and are a great addition to salads or stir-fries. But don’t take many from each plant, as it can hinder cropping. Alternatively, grow plants specifically for their shoots (see Sowing for pea shoots, above), harvesting within a few weeks of sowing, when tender and delicious.

Peas are generally healthy and robust plants, but they often need protection from various forms of garden wildlife that enjoy eating them. Mice will take newly sown pea seeds, so indoor sowing is often safer and also keeps seedlings away from slugs and snails. Pigeons like to eat pea plants too, so you may need to use a netting cage. For more on spotting and tackling these and other issues, see Common problems, below.