How to Plant and Grow Peas in Your Home Vegetable Garden

Growing Requirements for Pea Plants

Peas should not be planted in the same area where they were grown in the previous two seasons.

Peas should be grown in full sun in north-south aligned rows for the best exposure and air circulation.
Prepare the planting area by digging in a generous amount of compost or well-rotted or processed manure prior to sowing. The soil should be moisture retentive but well-drained.
Test and adjust the soil to maintain a pH of 5.6-6.6.
Peas will not tolerate cold, wet soil. Water regularly once the weather begins to warm.

Sowing and Growing Peas from Seed

Peas are a cool weather crop that can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Successive crops can be planted every two weeks up until two months prior to temperatures are expected to reach 75°. Fall crops can be planted beginning in late summer. In USDA zones 8 and warmer, a winter crop can be planted in the fall.