How To Tell If Your Pea Plants Are Ready To Harvest (& The Best Way To Do It)

A staple of the summer garden, peas are among the easy-to-grow vegetables that'll thrive in shady areas. Lathyrus oleraceus (formerly Pisum sativum) is the scientific name covering several pea varieties, including the garden or English pea that is common in gardens and dinner tables, as well as the snap pea with its edible pod. When it comes to harvesting these green beauties, determining the exact right time to pick your peas can be a game of watching and sampling. 

A few cautions are in order for the pea harvest. Don't let peas go past the point of maturity before harvesting, as their quality will deteriorate rapidly, and they'll quickly become inedible. Hard peas indicate they have passed their prime, but they can still be used in soups or stew at this point. Harvest before the pod starts to decline. Time of day can affect the quality of the pea harvest, too. Keep all your vegetables fresh for longer with one simple gardening tip — harvest in the morning before peas and other veggies have lost their moisture throughout the day.

English peas are typically mature enough to harvest 60 to 70 days after planting, giving you a starting point for your vigil. (Tip: to make inspection easier next year, consider an easy DIY pea trellis you can make on a budget.) These popular legumes mature quickly once the pea's flowers begin to appear. When you see garden peas populating plump pods, closely examine the pods during the usual 18-21 days between flowering and maturity to see if they're ready for harvest. 

It's actually a good idea to harvest just a bit before they reach maturity to avoid a hard, starchy pea. That's why observing and consuming are your best bets for pinpointing the right moment for harvest. Pop a garden pea out of the pod and see if it's just a bit larger than the dry seed from which it germinated. Biting into it should reveal tender, not tough, skin. Now taste it; it should taste sweet when it's ready to harvest. You will likely harvest the last of the garden peas about a week after you started.

Snap peas can be ready for harvest within five to eight days of flowering because gardeners harvest them before their pods are completely mature. Pick sugar snap pea pods when they are full-sized, crisp, and contain large peas. Don't wait until the pods become fibrous or yellowed. You can keep picking them for three to four more weeks, as they will continue to flower and mature.

The position of pods on the plant is also a guide to harvest-readiness. The pods on the lowest part will be the first to mature. Just as they do when left on the plant too long, snap peas become starchy after being picked, as sugar turns to starch in the pea. Thus, for flavor and quality, it's best to consume peas very shortly after harvesting. If you can't do that, put them in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to two weeks.