Grow peas – with ease

You can never have too many peas growing in the garden. Seasons when you haven’t planted enough can end in heartbreak, so if you love your peas, plant lots of them! Climbing types are ideal for small spaces, but if you have room, you could also dedicate a bed or two to bush varieties that don’t need a support.
From shelling peas to crunchy snow peas and sugar snaps, there’s something for everyone. Good old-fashioned shelling peas are favourites – outrageously sweet, wonderfully moreish, and miles better than frozen peas from the supermarket, which never quite deliver the same magic.

Getting started

Peas thrive in cool conditions and grow best when daytime temperatures are between 15°C and 24°C. In most parts of Australia, this makes them an ideal autumn–spring crop, with slight differences in timing depending on your climate. Gardeners in subtropical areas should aim to sow seed from mid-autumn to mid-winter, while those in warm-temperate regions may stretch sowing into early spring. Frost can damage flowers and pods, so in cold areas sow in spring and late summer and protect plants from frost.

Get more advice on selecting, growing and harvesting peas in the May issue of ABC Gardening Australia magazine, on sale now!

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