Planting dates
Start by reading the packet name. Texas A&M lists English peas 2 to 8 weeks before the local frost-free date in spring and 2 to 12 weeks before the first freeze in fall. It lists southern peas 2 to 10 weeks after the frost-free date in spring and 10 to 12 weeks before the first freeze in fall.
Texas A&M: Texas Home Vegetable Gardening GuideChoose the kind of pea
Sugar snap peas belong with English peas for this decision: Texas A&M calls them a cool-season vegetable that can tolerate light frosts. Southern peas are a different crop. Texas A&M describes them as hot-weather legumes grown in summer. Do not use one group’s dates for the other.
Texas A&M: Easy Gardening, Southern PeasHow to plant
For English peas, the Texas home guide lists seed 1 inch deep, rows 18 to 36 inches apart and plants 1 inch apart. The same guide gives southern peas a wider 4-to-6-inch plant spacing and 24-to-36-inch rows. Use the matching row rather than combining the dimensions.
Texas A&M: Texas Home Vegetable Gardening GuidePlan the support for sugar snap peas
Texas A&M says most sugar snap pea cultivars are climbing vines and need a trellis. Place the support before sowing so the young plants do not have to be moved later. This support rule does not describe every English or southern pea variety.
Texas A&M: Sugar Snap Peas, Path to the PlateChoose your next step
Your packet says English, garden or sugar snap peas
Use the cool-season window. In spring, work from the local frost-free date and sow before it according to the Texas guide.Your packet says southern, cowpea, black-eyed or crowder pea
Use the warm-season window after local frost risk, not the English pea schedule.The packet only says peas
Find the cultivar or botanical type before choosing a date. The Texas guide separates the two groups because their seasons differ.Planting questions
Are sugar snap peas warm-season peas?
No. Texas A&M describes sugar snap peas as a cool-season vegetable that can tolerate light frosts.
Texas A&M: Sugar Snap Peas, Path to the PlateAre black-eyed peas the same timing as English peas?
No. Black-eyed peas are a southern-pea type, and the Texas guide puts southern peas in the post-frost warm-season window.
Texas A&M: Texas Home Vegetable Gardening GuideDo all pea varieties need a trellis?
Texas A&M says most sugar snap pea cultivars climb and need support. Check the packet for the variety you are growing.
Texas A&M: Sugar Snap Peas, Path to the Plate