There are few better arguments for growing your own than a handful of peas eaten straight from the pod. Fresh garden peas are a revelation next to the frozen bag: sweeter, crunchier and quietly addictive, with the first few rarely making it to the kitchen. Peas are a brilliant option for getting children into the garden. The seeds are large, they germinate quickly and they are tasty!
It helps to know your three main types from the off. Shelling peas (also called garden peas) are the classic kind: you pop open the pod and eat the peas inside. Mangetout are picked young and flat, before the peas swell, and eaten pod and all. Sugar snap peas sit in between, with plump, sweet, rounded pods that are crunchy whole. All three grow in much the same way, from a packet of seed or, for a head start, from module-raised young plants.
Starting peas off in the greenhouse
Peas can be sown straight into the ground, but starting them under cover has real advantages early on. A greenhouse lets you sow weeks before the soil outside is warm enough, gives tender seedlings a frost-free start, and, crucially, keeps newly sown seed safe from mice, who will happily dig up and eat a whole row overnight.
Growing peas from seed
Peas are large, easy seeds to handle, which makes them a brilliant crop for beginners and children alike. For an early start, sow from February to April. You can sow into modular trays or deep root trainers. Either way, use moist, peat-free multi-purpose compost and push the seeds in about 4cm deep.
Root trainers and deep modules suit peas, which like a long root run and resent disturbance when you plant out. Keep the trays bright; peas do not need much heat to germinate, just protection from the cold. Greenhouse shelving or a seedrack lifts your trays off a cold floor and keeps the seedlings close to the light so they grow stocky rather than leggy. Germination usually takes around 7 to 14 days, and the seedlings will be ready to move on once they are a few centimetres tall.
Hardening off and planting out
Young peas raised under cover need a week or two to toughen up before they face the open garden. Stand them outside during the day and bring them back in at night, or move them into a cold frame and open the lid progressively to acclimatise them. This hardening-off step stops the shock of cold winds and chilly nights checking their growth.
When planting peas out, do so from March to May, once the worst frosts have passed, spacing plants about 7.5cm apart in their rows. Water them well and get their supports straight away. Early sowings may still appreciate a cloche or fleece over the top if a sharp frost is forecast.
Growing peas in raised beds and the open ground (from seed and plants)
Peas are happily sown straight into open ground, and do especially well in a raised bed, where the soil warms a little earlier in spring and drains freely so seed is less likely to rot. It also makes it easy to set up neat rows and fix supports firmly into the sides. Whichever route you choose, the key things peas ask for are reasonable soil, something to climb, and a good drink when the pods are forming.
When to sow and plant
When to sow peas outdoors is largely a question of soil temperature. The main season runs from March to June, but pea seed will not germinate in cold, wet ground, so wait until the soil has warmed to around 10°C. In short, when to plant peas in the UK is from early spring, as soon as conditions allow, right through early summer.
Top tip: For a steady supply through summer rather than one big glut, sow a short row every few weeks: this is known as successional sowing.
Keen gardeners in milder, well-drained gardens can also sow hardy, round-seeded varieties outdoors in October or November for an early crop the following spring. These autumn-sown peas usually need a cloche or fleece over winter
Where to position them
Pick a sunny, open but sheltered spot. Peas crop best in full sun, though they tolerate light, dappled shade, which can help in a hot summer.. Avoid frost pockets for early sowings and very windy sites that could flatten the taller varieties. Most of all, peas dislike cold, waterlogged ground, so good drainage matters; this is where a raised bed earns its keep.
Watering, soil, spacing, sowing and support
Soil: peas are not greedy feeders, so there is no need to pile on the manure; a bed enriched for a previous crop is ideal. Dig in a little garden compost if the soil is poor, weed it, and rake to a reasonable tilth before sowing.
Top Tip: Peas create their own nitrogen, so avoid using high-nitrogen food. Too much nitrogen just encourages leaf growth instead of pea production.
Sowing and spacing: to sow directly, take out a flat-bottomed drill about 5cm deep and 15cm wide, and sow the seeds in a double or triple row, staggering them roughly 7.5cm apart across the width. Cover, firm gently and water in. Space rows generously, around 45 to 60cm apart for taller varieties, which makes them easier to support and improves air circulation to keep powdery mildew at bay. Smaller, faster-cropping types like mangetout will even grow if you are growing peas in pots, in a container at least 45cm wide kept well watered.
Watering: peas need little water early on, but they are thirsty just when it counts. Give them a thorough soak as they start to flower, and again a couple of weeks later as the pods swell, since this is what fills the pods. In dry spells, water the base of the plants rather than the foliage. Collecting rain in a water butt gives you a free, soft supply for exactly these moments.
Support: nearly all peas crop better with something to scramble up, even the so-called self-supporting dwarf types. Put pea supports in at sowing or planting time so the tendrils can grab hold as soon as they reach. For shorter varieties, twiggy hazel or birch prunings (traditional pea sticks) pushed in between the plants do the job. For taller varieties, use netting or chicken wire stretched between sturdy posts or bamboo canes. Get it in early and you will save yourself the fiddly job of untangling a collapsed row later.
You can get really creative with peas. They are wonderful climbing plants. You can create arches over a raised bed or as tee-pees ( or should we say tee-peas..). Just be wary of blocking out sunlight for the other plants.
Pea companion plants
Peas make good neighbours for many crops. Because they fix nitrogen, they pair naturally with leafy, hungry vegetables: carrots, sweetcorn, cucumbers and brassicas such as cabbage all do well nearby. They also sit happily alongside climbing and dwarf beans, another legume, and quick salad leaves can be tucked in at the foot of the row while the peas climb.
The one group to keep well away is the onion family. Onions, garlic, shallots and leeks are thought to inhibit the growth of peas and other legumes, so plant your alliums in a different bed. Aromatic herbs like mint, and flowers that draw in pollinators and predatory insects, on the other hand, are all useful friends to have nearby. A leafy crop such as spinach makes another good low-level companion at the edge of the row.
When and how to harvest
Knowing how to harvest peas well is what keeps them coming. Depending on variety and sowing date, peas are usually ready to pick from June through to October, around 11 to 14 weeks after sowing. Harvest shelling peas when the pods are well filled and rounded but still bright green, working from the bottom of the plant upwards, as the lowest pods ripen first. Pick mangetout while the pods are still flat and tender, before the peas inside start to swell, and sugar snaps when the pods are plump but still crisp.
The golden rule is to pick little and often. Regular picking tells the plant to keep flowering, so the more you harvest the more you get; leave pods to grow old and tough and cropping soon grinds to a halt. When the plants finally stop, do not pull them up. Cut the tops off for the compost and leave the roots in the ground, where the nitrogen they have fixed will feed whatever you plant next.
Pea pests and problems and how to avoid them
Peas are largely trouble-free, but a few pests and problems are worth knowing about, and most can be dealt with the organic way.
Mice are the classic enemy of newly sown peas, sniffing out the seeds and digging along the row, often clearing the lot before a single shoot appears. The simplest defence is to start peas off in a greenhouse and plant out as sturdy young plants, or to lay prickly twigs or netting over a direct-sown row to put them off.
Birds, especially pigeons, peck at seedlings and young shoots, sometimes stripping them to bare stalks overnight. Protect young plants with netting, a cage or fleece until they are established and less tempting.