Crop timing
When to sow peas in the UK
The short answer, on 26 October
Only under cover. The RHS describes autumn-sown peas kept in a greenhouse or cold frame over winter and planted out in early spring, and Vercro's catalogue now does the same: sow under cover in October or November, plant out in March.
Peas are sown in batches from spring into early summer. Cold soil is the limit at the start; summer heat and the end of the window are the limit at the other.
The pea year at a glance
From Vercro's crop catalogue, a national UK calendar in whole months. The underlined month is this one. Where you live moves these edges by a few weeks either way.
| Window | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peas: sow outsideFebruary to June | January: no | February: yes | March: yes | April: yes | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Peas: harvestMay to September | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: yes | August: yes | September: yes | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Autumn-sown, under cover: sow indoorsOctober to November | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: yes | November: yes | December: no |
| Autumn-sown, under cover: plant outMarch | January: no | February: no | March: yes | April: no | May: no | June: no | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
| Autumn-sown, under cover: harvestMay to June | January: no | February: no | March: no | April: no | May: yes | June: yes | July: no | August: no | September: no | October: no | November: no | December: no |
Growing time in the catalogue: 60 to 90 days from sowing. Family: Fabaceae.
Is it too late? It depends on your first frost
The same catalogue, run through the same code as the Vercro app, for three first-frost dates. “Should finish” means even the slow end of the growing time is done before the frost. Across 1050 UK gardens in Vercro the typical first autumn air frost ranges from about 4 November to 22 November (Met Office records), and in any one year it can come weeks earlier.
| If your first frost is usually around | Last sowing that should finish | Possible only at its fastest |
|---|---|---|
| 20 October | 30 June | none |
| 5 November | 30 June | none |
| 20 November | 30 June | none |
Your dates
Add your postcode for your area's usual frost dates, and what they mean for pea.
Want every crop at once, or a greenhouse? Open the full sowing tool.
What changes the answer
Soil temperature
The RHS says peas won’t germinate in very cold soil and to wait until it reaches about 10°C.Earlies or maincrop
Early varieties are quicker and suit the first and last sowings. Maincrop varieties need longer and crop later.Summer heat
Late sowings meet the hottest, driest weeks. Keep them well watered to get them away.Cover in autumn
Autumn sowings in the RHS guidance live under glass or in a cold frame until spring.
Where the sources differ
Vercro's catalogue and published advice, side by side
Vercro's catalogue starts pea sowing outside in February; the RHS starts outside in March and keeps February for sowing indoors. Both end in June.
Overwintering peas used to be sown directly outside in October and November in the catalogue. The RHS describes autumn sowing only under cover, so the catalogue was corrected on 19 September 2026: sown under cover in October or November, planted out in March.
Common timing mistakes
Sowing into cold, wet soil
Seed sits and rots, or gets eaten. Wait for the soil to warm, or start them indoors.No support
Most peas need something to climb. Put supports in at sowing, not once they flop.One sowing
A single sowing crops for a few weeks. Batches from March to June spread it out.Following peas with peas
Pea and bean root rots build up where they are grown repeatedly. See legume rotation.
How Vercro handles this in a real garden
Vercro keeps each pea sowing as its own planting on its bed. In the Garden plan, peas are offered for an empty bed while the catalogue window is open, and your location's frost date decides whether a late sowing is shown as having time.
When peas finish, the bed keeps the record, so cabbage-family crops planned there soon after are marked as following them well, and more peas or beans are marked to wait.
Frequently asked questions
Keep going
Where this comes from
Crop windows, growing times and plant families come from Vercro's own curated crop catalogue, the same data the Vercro app uses. Where a published source says something different, we show both rather than choosing the convenient one. Reviewed 19 September 2026.
- Peas: grow your own, Royal Horticultural Society. Read 19 September 2026.
Keep each pea sowing on its bed
Add your sowings as you make them. Vercro keeps them separate, shows the jobs that matter each morning, and remembers where the peas grew.