When to Harvest Peas
Fresh peas straight from the pod are one of the best tastes in the garden, but they don't stay perfect for long. Pick too early and the pods are flat and empty. Leave them too long and the peas turn starchy and the plants stop cropping. Knowing what to look for, and picking little and often, makes all the difference.
Quick answer
Garden peas are ready when the pods are plump and well filled but still bright green, usually around 12–16 weeks after sowing. Mangetout and sugar snaps are picked earlier, at about 7.5 cm long, when you can only just feel the peas starting to form inside. Start at the bottom of the plant, where pods ripen first, and pick every two or three days to keep the plants producing.
When are peas ready in the UK?
How long peas take depends on the type:
First earlies: about 12 weeks from sowing
Second earlies: about 13–14 weeks
Maincrop peas: about 14–16 weeks
In practice, peas sown in early spring are usually ready from late May or June. Later sowings follow through July and August, and a final sowing of a quick early variety in early summer can crop into September.
To keep peas coming all summer, the RHS suggests sowing a quick early variety every few weeks. Or sow early and maincrop varieties on the same day, so they're ready one after the other. See when to plant peas in the UK
How to tell garden peas are ready
The pod looks plump: you can see the rounded shapes of the peas inside.
It's still bright green and a little glossy. Pods that are turning pale, dull or wrinkled are past their best.
Try one: split a pod open and taste a pea. It should be sweet and tender. Floury, starchy peas mean you've waited too long.
The lowest pods on each plant fill first, so check those before the ones higher up.
Mangetout and sugar snaps
These are grown for their edible pods rather than the peas inside, so they're picked earlier:
Mangetout: pick while the pods are flat and about 7.5 cm long, just as tiny peas start to show inside.
Sugar snaps: pick when the pods have started to round out but are still crisp and snap cleanly.
Left too long, both become stringy and tough.
How to pick peas
Pea stems are delicate and snap easily, so use two hands. Hold the stem with one hand and pull or pinch the pod off with the other, or snip it off with scissors. Start at the bottom of the plant and work your way up.
Pick often. Check the plants every two or three days while they're cropping. If pods are left to mature, the plant switches from making new flowers to ripening seed, and cropping soon stops.
Eat or freeze them quickly
The sugar in peas starts turning to starch as soon as they're picked, so eat them as fresh as possible. If you have a glut, harvest them all rather than leaving the pods to age on the plant. Shell them, blanch them briefly and freeze them the same day.
Pea shoots
The soft tips of young pea plants are tasty in salads and stir-fries. You can pinch a few from growing plants, but don't take too many or you'll reduce the crop. Or sow a tray just for shoots on a windowsill and cut them within a few weeks.
After the harvest
When the plants have finished cropping, cut them off at ground level and compost them. Leave the roots in the soil. Peas are legumes, and their roots add nitrogen to the soil, which helps the next crop you grow there.
Harvesting peas grown in containers
Peas in pots are ready at the same time and picked in the same way. Container plants can dry out quickly, so keep them well watered while the pods are swelling. See growing peas in containers
For everything from sowing to supports, see how to grow peas in the UK
If your plants aren't cropping well, see why peas don't grow
Common questions
When are peas ready to pick in the UK?
Usually from late May or June for early spring sowings, and through summer for later sowings. Most peas are ready 12–16 weeks after sowing, depending on the variety.
How do you know when peas are ready?
The pods are plump and well filled but still bright green. Open one and taste a pea: it should be sweet and tender, not starchy.
When should you pick mangetout?
While the pods are still flat and about 7.5 cm long, before the peas swell.
Do peas keep producing if you pick them?
Yes. Regular picking encourages more flowers and pods. If pods are left to mature on the plant, it stops producing.
Harvest timings and picking advice based on RHS guidance.