Shelling peas
Pisum sativum
Also known as: English peas, Garden peas, Sweet peas (the edible kind, not the toxic flower Lathyrus), Petits pois
Quick facts
- Category
- fruiting
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Days to harvest
- 60 to 75 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 5 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- 5–22°C
- pH
- 6 to 7
- EC (hydroponic)
- 1.4 to 2 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 15 to 25 mol/m²/day
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 2 to 9 (winter low around -46°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- frost hardy (handles regular frost)
- Season
- cool (spring and fall crops)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor year-round (in zone)
- outdoor in growing season (annual)
- unheated greenhouse / hoop house
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
Shelling peas works in:
- soil bed
- media bed (ebb and flow)
- drip / Dutch buckets
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (shelling peas works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coco coir (Coconut coir) | slightly acidic | high | moderate |
| Perlite (Expanded volcanic glass) | neutral / inert | very low | low |
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| vegetative | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.6 |
| flowering | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.8 |
| fruiting | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.8 |
Aquaponics suitability
Compatible with typical aquaponics nutrient profiles. Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth; supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.
Care notes
A cool-season legume for hydroponic media beds or container systems with trellis. EC 1.5-2.5 mS/cm. pH 6.0-7.5. Temperature: 10–22°C (cool-season; heat above 25°C reduces yield and sweetness). Moderate light (DLI 14-20 mol/m2/day). Trellis or netting for climbing varieties (60–180 cm depending on variety). From seed to harvest: 60-70 days. Harvest when pods are plump and bright green but before the peas inside become starchy (test by eating one). The harvest window is narrow: 3-5 days of optimal sweetness before the peas toughen. Shell immediately after picking and eat, freeze, or cook within hours for best quality. Each plant produces moderate yields; a large planting is needed for a meaningful fresh-pea harvest. The labor of shelling is the main barrier to production. For the freshest possible peas (incomparably better than frozen), grow your own.
Notable varieties
A starting shortlist of cultivars worth knowing about. Not exhaustive: the seed catalogs list hundreds of named varieties. These are the ones home growers commonly choose between.
| Cultivar | Type | Breeder / origin | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | heirloom | 65 | 1908 American heirloom, the classic shelling pea. Bush type, 75 cm tall, productive, heat-tolerant for a pea. The home garden standard. | |
| Green Arrow | open-pollinated | 70 | 1973 British variety. Long pods, 9-11 peas per pod (high count for the size). Disease-resistant. Productive. | |
| Wando | open-pollinated | USDA, 1943 | 70 | Heat-tolerant; sets pods in temperatures that shut down other varieties. The variety to grow for late-spring planting in zones 6-7. |
| Snow Peas (Oregon Sugar Pod II) | open-pollinated | 65 | Snow pea variety, flat pods eaten whole before peas develop. Listed here for cross-reference; technically the same species as shelling peas, different cultivar group. |
Plan a setup with Shelling peas
Verified against: rhs-uk, cornell-cea, u-of-minnesota-extension. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.