Plant field guide
Pea (Sugar Snap)
Sweet, crunchy edible pods that rarely make it from garden to kitchen because they are so good eaten fresh off the vine. A cool-season crop that can tolerate light frost. Kids love to pick and eat them.
Growing requirements
- Scientific name
- Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Height
- 48 in (122 cm) – 72 in (183 cm)
- Spread
- 6 in (15 cm) – 12 in (30 cm)
- Spacing
- 3 in (8 cm)
- Hardiness zones & minimum temperature
- USDA 2–9; average annual extreme minimum from -50°F (-45.6°C). Hardiness does not predict local frost dates.
- Difficulty
- easy
Planting & seasonal timing
Northern Hemisphere planting months: not yet verified in our database.
Northern Hemisphere pruning months: no calendar months recorded.
For the Southern Hemisphere, these seasonal windows shift approximately six months. Check your local frost forecast, soil temperature, and species requirements; calendar months are not a guarantee of planting safety.
Plant as early as soil can be worked in spring. Provide a trellis or fence for climbing. Peas fix their own nitrogen. Harvest daily when pods are plump but before peas get starchy.
Pruning
No pruning needed. Pick pods regularly to encourage continued production.
Fertilizer
Low nitrogen (peas fix their own)
Light feeding at planting only
Mulch
Cool mulch around base to extend the season.