When to sow Sugar Snap Pea in the UK
Sugar Snap Pea is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Sugar Snap Pea is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| South Coast and Channel | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| South East and Home Counties | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| East Anglia | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Wales and West Coast | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Northern England | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Northern Ireland | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to early March | early March to late June | mid March to late April | mid June to early October |
Growing notes
Fleshy, rounded pods eaten whole, or left to fill and shelled like a garden pea; dwarf varieties such as 'Delikett' reach only about 60cm, which makes them one of the better pea options for a large pot. Sow from March, support with netting or twiggy sticks and pick regularly.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 8 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 40
- Days to maturity
- 85 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.15 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 25 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 4 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- powdery mildew
- pea moth
- mice eating seed
- pigeons
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for sugar snap pea.