Pea
What Plant Yet? knows about pea, and where each number comes from. For today's answer, pick your town.
Planting numbers
- Frost category
- Hardy Source: Colorado State University Extension
- Plant outdoors
- 2–4 weeks before typical last frost Given for hardy crops as a group. Source: Colorado State University Extension
- Cover at or below
- 28°F Source: Oregon State University Extension
- Grows once daytime temperatures reach
- 40°F Given for hardy crops as a group. Source: Colorado State University Extension
- Days to harvest
- 60–70 Source: Utah State University Extension
Left out because we found no university extension source for it: minimum night temperature. We don't estimate.
Growing tips
- Sow as early as the soil can be worked and reaches 40°F, but not in wet soil. (Colorado State University Extension)
- Earlier plantings yield more. (Colorado State University Extension)
- Peas quit flowering and podding once it gets above 85°F. (University of Minnesota Extension)
- Young plants shrug off light frost, but cover plants that are flowering if frost is forecast. (University of Minnesota Extension)
- Fall crops are possible but yield less and tend to get powdery mildew. (Colorado State University Extension)
How the answer uses this
The planting window opens 2–4 weeks before typical last frost in your town and stays open while a planting still has 70 days to mature before the typical first fall frost. Inside the window the answer is Plant when the coldest of the next 7 nights stays above 28°F (no source gives a minimum night temperature, so the cold-damage temperature is used). Cover tonight shows when tonight's low is 28°F or colder while pea is normally in the ground.
Sources
- Colorado State University Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
- Oregon State University Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
- Utah State University Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
- Colorado State University Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
- Colorado State University Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
- University of Minnesota Extension — checked Nov 11, 2026
Guidance only. Extension advice is written for typical conditions; your soil, variety and microclimate matter.