Snow Pea
Picton sno pea
Pisum sativum
Last edited by shiny on November 11, 2026. View history
Snow Pea
Also known as
mangetout (EN)
A variety of pea
How to sow snow pea: Direct seed outdoors, thin to 10cm
Sun requirement for snow pea: Plant in Full Sun
Snow Peas are a variety of pea that can be eaten whole in the pod while still unripe. The flat, sweet, crisp pods are eaten fresh and added to salads and stir-fries. Like other peas, Snow Peas do best in cooler weather and benefit from inoculation just before planting. Some varieties require trellising. If trellising, increase row spacing to 1.2 m.
- 35
- plantings
- 9
- harvests
- 1
- seed packet
Snow pea facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
11 weeks
median lifespan
First harvest expected
10
weeks after planting
Last harvest expected
14
weeks after planting
Height × spread
70cm × 20cmRow Spacing
30cmGrown for
pod harvested 7 times
Optimal temperature
10–24 °C
Absolute temperature
4–30 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
800–1200 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
350–2500 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5.5–7
Absolute soil pH
4.5–8.3
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
60–140 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
2700 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For snow pea, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 4°C and a shortest growing cycle of 60 days at its best temperature, about 780 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your snow pea will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Growing snow peas
- Dig the bed and add compost 1 week before sowing
- Put up supports for the vines 1 week after sowing
- Water regularly at sowing every week
- Weed gently by hand 3 weeks after sowing every 2 weeks
- Tie in the shoots 4 weeks after sowing every 2 weeks
- Pick pods regularly at first harvest every week
- Pull out finished vines and dig in the roots 4 weeks after first harvest
How members grow snow peas
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Harvested for
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Varieties of snow pea
Southland sno pea
Pisum sativum
Plant snow peas with
kale
coriander
oat
french breakfast radish
red d'anjou pear
Photos
Photos
Snow pea plantings
Snow pea harvests
Video
Where snow peas grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about snow peas
Nobody has posted about snow peas yet.
Sign in or sign up to post your tips and experiences growing snow peas.
Who's planted snow peas
- lisatmh Garden · Watertown,...
- Johann7 Bed - West · Shorewood, WI
- valgrind Vegetable Garden
- corvi Dining Room containers · salt spring island
- Bridge4 Raised Fence Garden Bed · Melbourne Australia
Snow pea harvests
-
Bridge4 harvested 0.105 kg.
about 6 years ago
-
Bridge4 harvested 10, weighing 0.042 kg.
about 6 years ago
-
Bridge4 harvested 30, weighing 0.06 kg.
about 6 years ago
Bridge4 harvested 0.105 kg.
Find snow pea seeds
View all snow pea seeds
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 60 to 140 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Pisum sativum L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Rosidae Fabales Leguminosae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -2 °C |
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect, climber/scrambler/scadent |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | heavy, medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours) |
Learn more about snow peas
Resources outside Growstuff.
