Snow peas are delicious, versatile, and extremely easy to grow at home.
Once you figure out the basic care needs they require, you’ll never buy them from the grocery store again.
Plus, you can even grow snow peas organically in containers sitting right in your garden. That’s right.
Ready to learn how to grow them yourself? Let’s dive in.
Guide Contents
Quick care guide: Snow pea
| Plant type | Perennial (depends on hardiness zone) |
| Origin | Southwest Asia |
| Scientific name | Pisum sativum |
| Other names | Sugar peas, Mangetout, or Chinese sugar peas |
| Soil type | Fertile, loamy, well-draining, potting mix |
| Soil pH | 5.5-6.8 (acidic) |
| Sunlight requirement | Full sun, partial sun |
| Bloom season | Summer |
| Colors | Green, yellow, white |
| Max height | 8 feet |
| Max width | 12 inches |
| Low temperature tolerance | 50F |
| High temperature tolerance | 80F |
| Ideal temperature range | 60-70F |
| Humidity | High (60% or higher) |
| Watering requirements | 1" per week, but adjust as necessary for weather |
| Fertilizer requirements | Minimal, liquid fertilizer during spring and summer as needed |
| Plant food NPK | 20-20-20 |
| Days until germination | 1-2 weeks from seed |
| Days until harvest | 60-90 days |
| Bloom time | May to July |
| Speed of growth | Moderate |
| Hardiness zones | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Plant depth | 1 inch deep |
| Plant spacing | 2 inches between seeds, 18 inches between rows |
| Plant with | Radishes Corn Parsley Spinach Cucumber Celery Eggplant Peppers Strawberries Beans |
| Don't plant with | Onions, garlic |
| Propagation method | From seed |
| Common pests | Spider mites, thrips, leaf miners, cucumber beetles, nematodes, armyworms, cutworms, slugs, snails, pea moths, or weevils |
| Common diseases | Brown spot, septoria blotch, powdery mildew, blight, and other fungal infections. |
| Indoor plant | Yes |
| Outdoor plant | Yes |
| Grown in container | Yes |
| Flowering plant | Yes |
| Beginner friendly | Yes |
| Care level | Easy (requires very little care) |
| Best uses | Edible, compost, cooking |
Can you grow peas in a container?
Snow peas can easily be grown in containers both indoors and outdoors in your garden.
These easy-to-grow, versatile crops can be grown in compact spaces while providing an abundance of crops all year round. If you grow them indoors, you can even harvest them throughout the wintertime.
They require little work to maintain so they’re good for indoor microgreens.
Here’s a YouTube video that shows what I mean:
See how easy it is? Even with just your balcony. That’s enough space to get snow peas to grow.
What type of snow peas grows well in pots?
There are dozens of different types of snow pea cultivars on the market.
But some are more suited for container growing compared to others, specifically the shorter varieties. Snow peas come in purple, yellow, and green with varying sizes. Some are even oddly shaped.
Do your research and see what suits your hardiness, garden space, and taste/texture.
Every pea species is unique and there is an optimal one for your zone. You can research them online to see their specific growing requirements.
- Tom Thumb (compact low growing sugar snap pea)
- De Grace (dwarf peas, medium-sized peas, tender, crisp, resistant to cold)
- Green beauty (requires tall support, grows up to 8 feet tall, good volume of peas, produces lots of pods, 60 day harvest time, 8 inch pods)
- Norli (early harvest, maxes out at 24 inches in height, requires trellis or garden stakes)
- Shiraz (purple snow pea)
- Oregon Sugar (large pods on a compact plant, bushy, abundant peas production)
You’ll need to do your reading and choose between the vanities. The main groups are snow peas, garden peas, and snap peas.
To summarize:
Snow peas
Snow peas are those nice lime green pods with the small peas hiding inside.
The peas are harder to see but can be squeezed out of the pods into your meal. The entire pod is edible though. People eat them raw or use them in culinary dishes.
If you’re in the UK, you may be more familiar with meteor peas or sugar snap peas. The care level is largely similar to the other snow pea types and this guide can give you general advice for proper care.
Garden peas
Garden peas are the type of pea that don’t have edible shells. You know, the one you need to peel. They’ll need to be deshelled before you eat the peas inside.
Snap peas
These are a hybrid. They’re a cross between snow peas and garden peas.
The seeds are visible on the inside of the pods and will need to be removed. The pods are edible so they can be eaten with the peas.
They all have differences that may affect how they grow in your hardiness zone. Not all peas will tend well in containers, so it’s important to choose one that does.
How to propagate snow peas in containers
This section covers how to start your snow peas in pots.
We’ll focus on starting from seed since it’s the most popular and economical way to propagate snow peas.
If you have a pregrown plant, you can just skip ahead to the proper section.
From seed
Peas can be grown from seed directly sown into the pots. They have a high germination rate and this makes it very easy to start from seed.
To start, choose a variety of snow pea that stays low. You don’t want them to get too tall so they can stay compact. If you have a small garden without a lot of planting space, smaller cultivars like Tom Thumb work well.
Sow the seeds around 2” apart in the center. Place the seeds in a circle right in the middle. This will give the roots some room to run without hitting the sides of the pot.
When to plant
Plant snow peas in early spring. They like cooler weather, so the January to February months are perfect. The temperature should be at least 45F, but not as hot as 75F.
If your zone takes time to warm up, start seeds indoors using a grow kit with a starter medium to get a head start.
If not, you can direct sow to the outdoors.
Warmer gardens can be started in September for a winter pea harvest. Cooler gardens can be started in the mid-summer.
Snow peas germinate well in cooler temperatures- preferably between 50-60F. Higher temps slow the germination process, which is usually the opposite of most plants!
If temps dip to the 30s, snow peas can tolerate it. But try to keep it higher than that with a plant heater or turn on the central heater to keep temps stable.
Fluctuating temperatures will slow down germination or even kill smaller younger snow peas. Sow somewhere that’s free from drafts, sheltered, but has full sunlight exposure.
Snow peas can tolerate light frost without protection, but the same can’t be said for heat.
Plant in spring or fall or optimal harvest.
Choosing your container
Use a sturdy plastic or ceramic container. If you’re growing bunches of pea plants, plastic is the cost-effective option.
Use lighter colors instead of black ones because they allow the heat to dissipate quicker. Remember that snow peas like cooler temperatures. Choose a container with at least 8 inches of height and 6 inches of width.
If you’re sowing multiple dwarf snow peas, you can use a plastic dishpan to germinate them efficiently.
However, the dishpan will need to have drainage holes that need to be drilled. For individual snow peas, the container should have at least 2-3 holes for drainage.
You can get creative with your container. Some people use plastic 2-liter bottles, mason jars (but they don’t drain), or even buckets. It doesn’t matter much.
It just needs to have proper drainage so the water doesn’t pool. Like other shallow-rooted plants they hate wet feet. Never let it soar. Keep it moist. But not wet.
Keep in mind that if you grow in a smaller container, it may require you to repot them sooner than later. So choose something that’ll save you time and money by going big.
Clay containers or terra cotta are good for temperature insulation. Plastic ones will heat the soil or drop the temp quickly, which isn’t good for peas plants. It’s a matter of now or later.
Fill it with potting mix
Fill the pot with a high-quality general-purpose potting mix. Consider lining the bottom of it with pebbles or sand. This will help keep it from clogging over time.
Gently fill the rest of the container with potting mix up to 2 inches from the rim of the pot. Leave some space for mulch or compost, which may be necessary for nutrients, weed prevention, or water retention later on.
The container should be at least 8 inches deep. Wider ones are optimal for saving space while maximizing your yield, so consider using window or box planters for peas.
Use a loamy well-draining potting mix. You can mix it with some peat moss or other substrate to create your own. Don’t use soil that’s already in your garden because this is often depleted soil that has minimal nutrients or contains plant pathogens.
Place the containers somewhere with stable temperatures with full sun. For hotter zones, you can get away with partial sunlight.
Sow the seeds
Dig holes half-inch deep in a circle around the soil. Each hole should be spaced 1-2 inches from each other with 2-3 seeds each.
You’ll be thinning the plants so it’s OK if you get multiple snow peas coming out of each hole. Put soil over the holes, but don’t pat down on it. The soil should be loose.
If you want to add bone meal or powdered inoculant, now’s your chance. The inoculant helps the seeds germinate quicker by speeding up the root development. Use as directed.
If you bought the seeds, they should come with a packet that has instructions. Read them and sow as directed. For quicker germination time, soak the seeds using distilled water for 24 hours before planting.
If sowing in rows, space each row 3 inches apart with each seed 1 inch apart, 1 inch deep.
Water thoroughly. Watch the water drain for the first time! The soil should be moist and even, but not soggy or wet.
Peas per container
If you want a bushier plant, sow 2-3 seeds in each spot. This will make them fuller but comes at the cost of the nutrient competition.
You may get smaller plants or fewer peas if you put so many seeds in one place. Make sure you provide enough nutrients in the soil column or plant food to support multiple snow peas in a single potter.
Plant one new pot with snow peas 2 weeks after your previous one. This will get you a nonstop harvest throughout the growing season.
Known as succession planting, it’s a good strategy for maximizing your harvest. It also helps reduce the possibility of plant viruses or pests wiping out your entire yield.
If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a good video that shows the main points of succession planting:
Wait for germination
The seeds will germinate within 5-7 days. Some may take up to 14 days. Temperatures must be above 60F for germination. Thin when the plants are 2 inches apart after germination.
If planting too close together, they’ll actually use each other as plant supports. This eliminates the need to add trellises but only applies to dwarf snow pea types like Tom Thumb.
Taller plants will require staking. Germination time varies. Things like temperature, humidity, and potting soil quality will affect how quickly it germinates.
Continue watering about ½ inch of water per week until the snow peas bloom. Then increase to 1 inch per week during the season.
Since they prefer weather that’s cooler, they prefer cold, moist soil. But overwatering will make the soil soggy and can lead to root rot. Overwatering also produces less fruit because the plants will suffer from pooling water. But if you let it dry out, it can make them produce the same.
The soil should never completely dry out, unlike Brussels sprouts or sorrel. Plants grown in planters will evaporate the water quicker than soil-based plants.
For this reason, you should monitor your water soil saturation levels closely. Use a moisture meter if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s easier when you can see the current levels in the substrate.
For hotter days, water more. For rainy days, water less. Adjust as necessary based on the container size.
Do not let the soil dry out between watering sessions, but don’t give them wet feet either. This encourages root rot or molding at the root level.
Fertilizing
When your pea plants grow to 5-6 inches in height (varies depending on snow pea type), add some plant food as directed. Mulch or compost is also preferable.
Opt for organic varieties since you’ll be eating them. The mulch helps retain the moisture so you don’t need to water it as often. It also insulates the roots from temperature swings.
Snow peas don’t usually require fertilizer or plant food if the substrate you use is high in nutrients- this is why you need to choose the right type from the beginning.
But if you want to maximize your yield, use a 20-20-20 general purpose plant fertilizer. Use half dosage once a month or as directed. Use organic plant food if possible- after all, you’re eating it.
Apply the fertilizer during the peak growing season. If you don’t want to use fertilizer, you can substitute it with manure or compost, twice per week during the peak season.
Compost, banana peels, processed food waste or other organic matter can be added to help supplement plant growth. Phorpsohure, potassium, and nitrogen-based plant foods are what snow peas need.
Staking
Peas will require a support system when grown in containers.
Either use a trellis for them to climb or stakes for them to wrap around. Dwarf varieties will climb on each other for support, but often leaves a tangled mess which makes it difficult to prune.
Harvesting
Pick snow peas at their peak of flavor by inspecting them. They should look firm, lime green, and peas visible inside the pods of the plant.
Pick peas gently by using the little stalks on the plant. Twist it off without damaging the plant. The pods come from the flowers. Picking often means more improved harvest.
Did you know picking your snow peas at peak flavor in the season produces MORE pods? If you let it sit, it’ll actually make it produce less yield.
Even if you don’t plan to use your harvest immediately, you can store them in the fridge for later use. If you succession plant them you can get peas during the entire season. You can even plant different cultivars together in the same plot to get a pea salad!
You can pick multiple pods from a single plant. Rinse peas with cold water right upon picking. Let them dry on a paper towel. Use immediately.
Storage
For surplus peas, you can put them in an airtight container then freeze them or put them in the fridge for short-term storage. Snow peas can last up to 3 days fresh in the fridge if stored properly.
Snow pea care
Here are some general care guidelines for snow peas.
Your pea plant’s care needs will vary. Some cultivars will need slightly different care guidelines from others.
They should all be similar in need so you can generalize the care requirements.
Hardiness zone
Snow peas can be grown nearly anywhere in the US. The nice thing about snow peas is that they require very little garden space to thrive.
They can be grown in containers or in the garden bed directly. Some varieties are tall. Others are short (dwarf). Snow peas are bushy and can be grown in tiny gardens.
Soil
Use a well-draining, nutrient-dense, high-quality potting mix. Do NOT use garden soil for potted plants. Snow peas like loamy, loose soils that drain well.
Poorly draining soil will be too compact and then pool water, which can lead to root rot. Do not use old soil because it can carry pathogens or have poor nutrient quality from previous plants.
Soil pH
Snow peas like soil with pH values between 5.5-6.8. Acidic to neutral soil pH give them ideal growing conditions. Snow peas don’t generally care about the soil pH, so you don’t have to worry about this.
Spacing
Depth
Watering
Give at least 1” of water a week during peak season. Adjust the watering regime you use for rain or drought. Use a moisture meter for precision.
Sunlight
Aim for at least 6 hours of full sun per day. If growing indoors, choose a west or south-facing window. The partial sun can work too if you’re in a higher zone.
Temperature
Snow peas will grow when temperatures are between 50-70F. If temperatures are higher than 75F for a consistent period of time, they’ll stop growing entirely.