When to plant
peas in the UK
Sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Pick regularly to keep them producing — leave one pod on and the whole plant slows down.
Work out your own dates
Starts from the recommended sow date for your area. Sowed on a different day, or planted out late? Adjust below and the harvest moves with it.
Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it
Growing journey
12 weeks from planting out to harvest · Start indoors 5 weeks before planting out
Get peas seeds
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What peas need
Sun. Something to climb — sticks, netting, or a trellis.
Spacing
8cm between plants · 20cm between rows
Space evenly in rows. Thin seedlings early to avoid crowding.
Varieties worth growing
Kelvedon Wonder
commonThe pea you'll find on allotments up and down the country, and deservedly so — reliable, sweet, and ready in about twelve weeks. It stays compact, so there's no wrestling with tall supports; just sow a row in the cool of spring and wait for the pods to fill.
Peas on toast
Crush freshly podded peas with a fork, fold through ricotta with mint, lemon zest and a little flaky salt, then spread thick on hot toast. Spring, on a plate.
Garden pea risotto
Stir podded peas into a classic risotto in the last three minutes. Finish with parmesan, butter, and a handful of pea shoots. The colour alone is worth it.
Hurst Greenshaft
uncommonGenerous to a fault — it sets its pods in pairs, and sometimes threes, so the picking always feels like a little stroke of luck. It's tall enough to want some support, but it pays back the trouble with armful after armful.
Pea and ham soup
Simmer a ham hock with a bay leaf until falling apart. Strip the meat, add peas, cook five more minutes. Thick, smoky, and the reason this soup has been made for centuries.
Oregon Sugar Pod
uncommonA mangetout you eat whole, pod and all — sweet and flat, and best of all straight off the plant while you pretend to be getting on with other jobs. Sow it through the cooler weeks and pick young, before the peas swell inside.
Stir-fried mangetout with sesame
Searing hot wok, a splash of sesame oil, the pods for sixty seconds, a hit of soy sauce and a scatter of toasted sesame seeds. Done before the rice is ready.
Raw mangetout and radish salad
Slice the pods on the diagonal, toss with thinly sliced radishes, rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar and fresh coriander. Crunchy, bright, and about as fresh as lunch gets.
Alderman
rareA tall heritage climbing pea from the 1890s that will happily reach above your head, with long pods and a flavour to match. It needs proper support — a good wigwam or some netting — but there's real pleasure in growing something the Victorian gardeners loved, and in the picking when it comes.
Pea and lettuce braise
Pod the peas, shred a Little Gem, soften spring onions in butter, add the peas and lettuce, a splash of stock, and braise gently for five minutes. A very English, very old-fashioned, very delicious way to eat peas.
When to sow peas
Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.
Where to buy peas seeds
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What you'll need for peas
The stuff beginners wish they'd bought sooner.
Even dwarf peas need support. Without it they sprawl, pods sit in mud, and slugs have a field day.
Traditional and brilliant — the twiggy texture gives tendrils something to grip. Free if you have access to hedgerow prunings.
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Get your exact dates
Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for peas.