As a gardener, knowing when to harvest peas is key to enjoying their peak flavor and texture. Depending on the variety, there are a few telltale signs that indicate your peas are ready for picking.
Check Days To Maturity
The first step is checking the seed packet or plant tag to see the maturity timeframe Most peas are ready for harvest 60-70 days from when they were planted. Mark your calendar and watch the plants closely as they near that timeframe.
Look For Flowers
Pea plants will produce flowers before the pods form. Once you see flowers, start checking for young pods a few days later. The flowers indicate pods will soon emerge.
Monitor Pod Size
The size and shape of the pea pods signals when they are optimally ripe for harvesting.
-
Snow and sugar snap peas should be picked when pods are 2-5 inches long. Choose pods that are still flat, not rounded.
-
Shelling peas are best harvested when the pods are plump and rounded from the peas inside. Pop open a pod to check – the peas should be touching each other when ready.
-
Snap peas are ideal when pods have started filling out but aren’t completely rounded. Pods should be glossy and crisp, not bulging.
Check Pod Color
For all pea varieties, the pods should be vibrant green when picked. Avoid pods that have turned dull, yellowish or brown – those are overripe.
Sample Taste
There’s no better indicator of pea ripeness than taste. Pop open a few pods and taste right in the garden. Sweet, tender peas and crunchy pods means it’s time to start harvesting.
Pick Often
Once the peas are ready, pick every couple of days to encourage more pod production. Use two hands – support vines with one hand while gently plucking pods off with the other.
Remove Overmature Pods
It’s important to promptly pick overripe pods, as leaving them on the vines signals to the plant to stop producing. Removing spent pods right away keeps the harvest coming.
Following these visual and taste cues will ensure you pick garden-fresh peas at the peak of flavor. Frequent harvesting results in a bountiful crop to enjoy immediately or preserve for later.
How Do You Pick the Perfect Moment to Harvest Peas?
If youve never grown your own peas before, youre in for a treat. The little pods that you pull fresh from the vine are way more delicious than anything you can find in a can or freezer bag.
Most pea varieties go from seed to harvest in 50 to 60 days. Pea pods are technically fruit, and fruit is one of the very last steps in a plants life cycle. Once your vines start producing, pods can form from the base of those pretty little pea flowers in just a matter of days. Pods will reach maturity at different times, so youll want to stay on top of harvesting. Check your plants daily so you dont miss your window for the sweetest, crispest peas youve ever tasted.
So how do you know when peas are in that window? There are 3 signs to look for.
The Pea Pod Has Reached the Right Thickness
As a general rule, you want to harvest pods as soon as theyre big enough to eat. Heres what that looks like for the different types of peas:
Snow peas are best harvested when theyre technically still immature. Harvest pods as soon as they reach about 2″ to 4″ in length, before the peas inside begin to form. The ideal snow pea is flat and crisp. You can typically harvest snow peas within days of the flower opening.
For snap peas, both the crunchy shell and the tender little peas inside are edible. Sugar snap peas are perfectly crisp and sweet when the peas inside have plumped up a bit but arent really pressing against the sides of the shell.
Unlike snow peas and snap peas, the shell of shell peas is not great to eat. Its technically edible but super fibrous. Shell peas are grown strictly for the tasty peas inside the pod. So with that in mind, wait to harvest shell peas until the peas inside are nice and round. Youll be able to see them swelling against each other and the sides of the pod. It usually takes a pod about 3 weeks to fully form from the flower.
When To Harvest Peas – The Perfect Time To Pick
FAQ
How do you know when to pick your peas?
Pea harvesting time depends on the type you’re growing (snow, snap, or shelling peas) and their maturity. Generally, you want to pick peas when they’re plump, sweet, and tender, but not overripe. For snow peas, this means picking them when they’re flat and crisp, while snap peas should be picked when they’re plump but still glossy.
How long can you leave peas on the plant?
Peas are best picked every 2 to 3 days as if they are left on the plant for too long, they can become tough and the taste can diminish. However, you can also collect some of the seeds to sow peas the following year or use them when dried to add to soups and stews.
How big should peas be before you pick them?
For snow peas, I pick them when they’re around 3” long, and before the pea inside starts getting plump. Sometimes a few sneak past me and get to 4” and they’re still good.