Sugar Snap Pea is grown for its pods, ready to pick about 65 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 11. Its flowers are a modest draw for honeybees, even though the pods are the prize. 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.
Zones
2-11
pH Range
4.5-8.3
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
65
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What Sugar Snap Pea is
Sugar Snap Pea reaches around six feet at maturity.
How to grow Sugar Snap Pea
Sugar Snap Pea grows in USDA zones 2 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 65 days after planting. Sugar Snap Pea does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground. It needs around 750 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 60 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.3
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
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Drainage
well (dry spells)
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Frost Tolerance
39.2°F
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Days to Maturity
65 days
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GDD Required
750+
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Mature Height
6 ft
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Frost-Free Days
60+
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Start the season right
Plant sugar snap 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
Sugar Snap Pea prefers pH 4.5 to 8.3 (USDA PLANTS Database). 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.
Harvest at maturity
Sugar Snap Pea is ready about 65 days after sowing (University Extension production guides). Pick the pods young and tender, before the seeds inside fully swell.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — sugar snap pea isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Sugar Snap Pea offers low value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Sugar Snap Pea thrives
On hardiness alone, sugar snap pea grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 11) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 2–11·Where Sugar Snap Pea growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Sugar Snap Pea can grow in these states:
See if Sugar Snap Pea will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sugar snap 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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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Sugar Snap Pea in my zone?
Sugar Snap Pea grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Sugar Snap Pea take to grow?
Sugar Snap Pea is ready to harvest about 65 days after planting (University Extension production guides). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Sugar Snap Pea?
Most growers plant sugar snap pea after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 60-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 Sugar Snap Pea need?
Sugar Snap 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 Sugar Snap Pea need?
Sugar Snap Pea prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.3, on well-drained ground (USDA PLANTS Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sugar Snap Pea attract pollinators?
Yes — sugar snap pea's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees (Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership).
Is Sugar Snap Pea safe for pets?
Sugar Snap Pea is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data (ASPCA). Always supervise pets around new plantings.