Yes — Strong Match
sugar snap pea (zones 2-11) covers every zone Rhode Island contains (6b-7b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island — the short answer
Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island: hardy in zones 2–11, full sun, against a state median of ~225 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 2-11
- 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
- Rhode Island zones
- 6b-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 3 – Nov 7 - Nov 21
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 210 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 65 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Rhode Island spans zones 6b-7b, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score sugar snap pea against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Where in Rhode Island Fits Best
Even within Rhode Island's zones 6b-7b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for sugar snap pea (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Sugar Snap Pea Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-11
- Frost-Free Days: 60+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 ft tall
- Picking window: ~21 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Rhode Island Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 7 - Nov 21
- Annual Rainfall: 44-52 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Coastal sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island
The frost window
Across Rhode Island, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 218-day window you can count on — up to 239 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Frost tenderness
Sugar Snap Pea is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
When to start the seed
Sugar Snap Pea is direct-sown where it grows rather than started under cover, so there is no seed-tray head start to bank — Rhode Island's dates above are the whole calendar for it. That makes the last-freeze date the binding constraint, and a warmer pocket of your own yard is worth more to this crop than it is to a transplanted one.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 65 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 153 days to spare even in Rhode Island's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says sugar snap pea survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Sugar Snap Pea wants 60+ frost-free days; a typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Sugar Snap Pea needs ~750 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~2635 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Rhode Island's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Sugar Snap Pea tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-8.3) — 3.8 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Rhode Island. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Rhode Island soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Rhode Island site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Rhode Island's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Sugar Snap Pea needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how sugar snap pea performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Rhode Island soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant sugar snap pea for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before sugar snap pea goes in. What follows is Rhode Island’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Rhode Island — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Rhode Island — 7,250 documented sites across 7 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 141 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Rhode Island carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Rhode Island
Severity Distribution
across Rhode Island
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Rhode Island, two things run higher than the national average across Rhode Island — Superfund (141 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (446 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.
Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.
Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).
Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Rhode Island growers also need to think about:
Small lot sizes limit garden space in much of the state
Salt spray affects coastal plantings
Rocky glacial soils need clearing
Growing sugar snap pea here specifically
Rhode Island's soils run mostly fine sandy loam (Inceptisols), and whether that suits sugar snap pea's pH 4.5–8.3 preference comes down to your exact parcel, not the statewide picture.
Pull your parcel's SSURGO map unit, test pH, and amend toward sugar snap pea's 4.5–8.3 target before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Rhode Island grower, not just sugar snap pea — is covered on the Rhode Island growing guide.
Timing shifts within Rhode Island
Sugar Snap Pea needs about 60 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Providence County — Rhode Island’s shortest season at 210 frost-free days — clears that by 150 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Rhode Island. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Sugar Snap Pea's 60-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Sugar Snap Pea draws honeybees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, sugar snap pea can only work that bloom inside Rhode Island's frost window — roughly 225 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 27 - Apr 3) and closing at the first (Nov 7 - Nov 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Recommended Sugar Snap Pea Varieties for Rhode Island
These are a regional Cooperative Extension recommendation covering Rhode Island (cited source, 2026). Variety facts aren't ours — we extract and cite them; the full list lives at the linked source.
Tier 2 — a regional Cooperative Extension consortium recommendation. Cultivar data: PLANT_DATABASE/cultivar_registry.json (provenance-gated).
Rhode Island Cooperative Extension
For Rhode Island-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for sugar snap pea, the canonical source is URI Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island
When can I plant Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Sugar Snap Pea is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Sugar Snap Pea mature before first frost in Rhode Island?
Yes — Sugar Snap Pea matures in 65 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and Rhode Island's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 218 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 153 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Sugar Snap Pea grown in across Rhode Island?
Rhode Island spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Sugar Snap Pea carries a range of zones 2-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
Which sugar snap pea varieties are recommended for Rhode Island?
Cooperative Extension variety trials for Rhode Island list 'Sugar Ann', 'Sugar Sprint', and 'Sugar Snap' among recommended sugar snap pea cultivars (cited source, updated 2026). Match one to your site, then confirm timing and soil against your own parcel — not the state average.
How many frost-free days does a typical Rhode Island site have?
A typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Sugar Snap Pea needs 60+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Sugar Snap Pea in Rhode Island?
Sugar Snap Pea tolerates pH 4.5-8.3 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.8-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Rhode Island site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Sugar Snap Pea actually grow on my specific land in Rhode Island?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores sugar snap pea against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Rhode Island
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores sugar snap pea against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Rhode Island sugar snap pea averages can't show:
We read public map data around Rhode Island — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Rhode Island sugar snap pea average
Explore More
Growing guides for sugar snap pea
Explore Rhode Island county by county
Rhode Island carries 5 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for sugar snap pea there:
Where else sugar snap pea grows
Sugar Snap Pea's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Rhode Island in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a growing page for 889 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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