Cool-season produce

Garden pea

Pisum sativum

Also known as Shelling pea · English pea · Green pea

Harvest plump pods for peas inside; the pod is usually discarded. Growth slows in midwinter and stops as spring heat arrives.

EdibleCool-season cropNitrogen fixer

Growing spaceVegetable bed

Climate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Crop familyFabaceae (legume)

Life cycleAnnual crop

Phoenix planting windowSeptember–February; October–January is the dependable stretch.

How to plantDirect sow; provide a trellis for tall varieties.

Plant spacing2–3 in along a row or trellis

FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.

Time to harvestAbout 60–120 days from September sowing; 120–150 from November in the Maricopa calendar

SuccessionSow every 3–4 weeks until midwinter.

Special categoriesEDIBLE · NITROGEN FIXING

Typical harvestCool-season pods, often late winter to spring.

Right plant, right place

Will Garden pea grow at your Arizona property?

Harvest plump pods for peas inside; the pod is usually discarded. Growth slows in midwinter and stops as spring heat arrives.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Full winter sun; give leafy crops afternoon protection during warm fall and spring weather.

Water

Keep the vegetable root zone evenly moist with regular irrigation; adjust to rain, soil, and temperature rather than using a fixed summer schedule.

Planting & stewardship

1
Prepare a fertile, well-drained bed and keep seed or transplants evenly moist through establishment.
2
Thin to the final spacing; crowding reduces harvest quality.
3
Watch for aphids and caterpillars and protect sensitive growth from a hard freeze.
4
Harvest before sustained spring heat causes bolting or poor quality.

Read the growing reference ↗ Planting dates can shift with cultivar, weather, and your yard’s microclimate.