Sweet Pea is an annual grown for its blooms, which open from spring through fall. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 10, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its 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.
Zones
2-10
pH Range
6-8
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
65
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What Sweet Pea is
Sweet Pea grows as an annual and reaches around six feet at maturity. It blooms from spring through fall. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea grows in USDA zones 2 through 10. Sweet Pea does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 8, on well-drained ground. It needs around 500 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 150 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
6 - 8
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Tolerance
39.2°F
The lowest temperature it shrugs off — below this, expect damage without cover.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
65 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
6 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
150+
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 sweet pea in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Sweet Pea prefers pH 6 to 8 (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.
Harvest at its peak
Cut sweet pea blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — sweet pea is toxic to dogs and cats (moderate severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Sweet Pea offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Sweet Pea thrives
On hardiness alone, sweet pea grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 10) 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 2–10·Where Sweet Pea growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Sweet Pea can grow in these states:
See if Sweet Pea will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sweet 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 Sweet Pea in my zone?
Sweet Pea grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 10 (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 Sweet Pea?
Sweet Pea is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Sweet Pea need?
Sweet 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 Sweet Pea need?
Sweet Pea prefers soil pH 6 to 8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sweet Pea attract pollinators?
Yes — sweet pea's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Sweet Pea safe for pets?
Sweet Pea is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)