Congo Pea is grown for its foliage and the structure it brings to a planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 9 through 11 and shrugs off dry spells. Its spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Congo Pea — the short answer
Congo Pea: grown in zones 9–11, full sun, pH 4.5–8.4.
- USDA zones
- 9–11
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8.4
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Congo Pea on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether congo pea actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score congo pea against your land's real conditions.
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What Congo Pea is
Congo Pea grows as a perennial and reaches around ten feet at maturity. It blooms in spring.
How to grow Congo Pea
Congo Pea grows in USDA zones 9 through 11. Congo Pea does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.4, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 90 frost-free days and about 0 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
9-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.4
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
10 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
0+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
90+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant congo pea in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Congo Pea prefers pH 4.5 to 8.4 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Keep it in good form
Prune congo pea to shape as it grows; the reward is its foliage and structure, not a harvest, so steady upkeep is the whole job.
Where Congo Pea thrives
Congo Pea is hardy across USDA zones 9 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 9–11 spans average winter lows from 20°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers none outright but splits 17 down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 9–11·Where Congo Pea growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Congo Pea stands, state by state
Congo Pea is rated for zones 9–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 0 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 17 more, and 34 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
17 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 17 shown
Congo Pea’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Congo Pea
Growing guides for congo pea
In rotation planning, congo pea counts as a Legume — beds recover best when legume crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — congo pea isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Congo Pea offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Congo Pea's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Congo Pea will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether congo pea actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Congo Pea
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Congo Pea in my zone?
Congo Pea grows in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Congo Pea?
Most growers plant congo pea after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 90-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Congo Pea need?
Congo Pea needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Congo Pea need?
Congo Pea prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.4, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Congo Pea attract pollinators?
Yes — congo pea's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Congo Pea safe for pets?
Congo Pea is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Congo Pea
Congo Pea state by state
Every state congo pea's zone reaches — 3 link straight to that state's congo pea growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.