Legume
How to grow mangetout and sugar snap peas
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon
Mangetout and sugar snaps are peas eaten pod and all, so they give more food per row than shelling peas and skip the podding. Sow direct from March (mangetout) or April (sugar snaps) to June in fertile, moist soil in full sun, with netting or pea sticks to climb. They need no nitrogen feed. Plan your crop rotation so brassicas take the bed next and use the nitrogen the roots leave behind. Water well once flowering starts and pick every two days, because pods left on turn stringy and stop the plant cropping. If you cannot get to the allotment that often, grow a dwarf variety in a pot or trough near the house instead.
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Position
- Full sun
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate, at flowering and pod fill
- Feeding
- Light feeder
Sowing and planting
WhenSow Mar to Jun in succession; harvest Jun to Sep
Starting off
Direct sow March (under fleece) to June every 3 weeks, germinating in 7 to 14 days at 5 to 15 °C; sugar snaps are more cold-sensitive, so sow them from April. Start in guttering or root-trainers under cover in a cold spring and plant out at 8 cm.
Spacing and planting
Sow 4 to 5 cm deep, 5 to 7 cm apart in a 15 to 20 cm wide flat drill in two or three staggered lines, rows 60 to 90 cm apart; most varieties climb to 1.2 to 1.8 m and need netting or pea sticks. Dwarf 'Shiraz' or 'Sugar Ann' crop in a 30 cm pot or trough with a few twiggy sticks.
Varieties worth growing
- Oregon Sugar Pod
- The dependable mangetout: broad, flat pods on plants of about 1 m that need only light support.
- Shiraz
- Purple-podded mangetout with two-tone flowers, about 1 m tall. Easy to see when picking; best eaten raw, as the colour fades in cooking.
- Carouby de Maussane
- Tall French mangetout, 1.5 m or more, with purple flowers and very large pods that stay tender.
- Sugar Ann
- Early, dwarf sugar snap of about 75 cm that needs little support. The one for pots and for the first sowing.
- Cascadia
- Sugar snap of about 90 cm with thick, sweet pods and resistance to powdery mildew, which makes it the best choice for June sowings.
Month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Order seed. Check netting and posts.
- February
Cover the first row with a cloche to warm the soil. Sow mangetout in root-trainers in a cold greenhouse at the end of the month.
- March
Sow mangetout direct under fleece, 4 to 5 cm deep. Put supports in at sowing.
- April
First sowing of sugar snaps. Plant out anything raised under cover. Guide young shoots onto the netting.
- May
Sow again for succession. Hoe, then mulch once the soil has warmed.
- June
Last sowing by mid June, using a mildew-resistant variety. Water well as flowers open. First mangetout ready.
- July
Pick every two days. Water weekly in dry weather.
- August
Keep picking later sowings. Leave a few pods to dry on the plant if saving seed.
- September
Last pods. Cut finished plants off at ground level and leave the roots in the soil.
- October
Clear supports. Spread compost on next year's pea bed.
- November
Nothing to do.
- December
Nothing to do.
Feeding
Like all peas, they fix their own nitrogen and need no nitrogen feed. On decent soil, compost from the previous autumn is enough; a phosphorus and potassium dressing helps only on poor or hungry ground.
As peas, it fixes its own nitrogen and needs little extra feed.
Feeding plan
The autumn before
Garden compost
A 5 cm layer on the bed, or in a trench under the row. No fresh manure, which gives leaf and few flowers.
Before sowing, poor or sandy soil only
100 g/m², the label's maintenance rate, raked into a 30 cm strip along the row: about 30 g per metre of row. On fertile soil, nothing.
From first flower, every 2 to 3 weeks
1 g per litre of water as a drench along the row, 10 g in a 10 litre can, until picking finishes.
Signs to watch
Pale, stunted plants in cold, wet soil
Stalled root nodules and waterlogging, not nitrogen
Improve drainage and sow later; never feed nitrogen
Stringy, tough pods
Left too long or dry soil, not nutrition
Pick daily and water at flowering
Lush leaf and few flowers
Excess nitrogen from fresh manure
Move to a high-potash feed
Pests, diseases and problems
Seeds vanish from the drill before they come up
Mice, which dig up and eat pea seed, mostly in early spring
Start early sowings in root-trainers or guttering under cover and plant out at 8 cm tall. Outdoors, cover the drill with fine wire mesh until the shoots are through.
Seedlings pecked off or pulled out, leaves torn
Wood pigeons
Net the row or lay twiggy sticks along it from sowing until the plants are climbing.
U-shaped notches round the edges of the leaves
Pea and bean weevil
No action needed on established plants. Fleece over small seedlings in a cold spring keeps them growing past it.
Small pale caterpillars inside sugar snap pods
Pea moth, which lays on plants in flower in June and July
Sow in March or from late May so flowering misses the peak, or cover with fine mesh while in flower. Mangetout picked flat are rarely affected, as the pods are eaten before the caterpillars develop.
White powdery coating on leaves and pods from July
Powdery mildew, worst on late sowings in dry soil
Water thoroughly at the roots and mulch. Grow Cascadia for later sowings. Clear finished plants promptly.
Shoot tips and flower buds crowded with green insects, pods distorted
Pea aphid
Rub them off or dislodge with a jet of water, and leave ladybirds and hoverfly larvae to work.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Pick mangetout at 5 to 7 cm long, flat with the peas just showing as tiny bumps, 12 to 14 weeks from sowing; pick sugar snaps when the pods are plump, rounded and snap crisply. Hold the vine and pull with a twist every 2 days, as missed pods go stringy. A 3 m row yields 2 to 3 kg. Use within 2 days or freeze.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: legume group with peas and beans, 3-year gap; brassicas follow to use the fixed nitrogen, roots left in the soil. Grow beside carrots, radish and lettuce, which enjoy the light shade. Keep away from onions, garlic and leeks, which check growth.
Good to knowPick mangetout flat and young; pick sugar snaps when plump but still crisp.
Growing in pots
Dwarf varieties do well in pots: Sugar Ann, or Shiraz and Oregon Sugar Pod with a wigwam of canes and string. Use a pot or trough at least 30 cm wide and deep, filled with fresh multipurpose compost, which holds enough feed without anything added. Sow 5 cm apart around the pot, eight to ten seeds in a 30 cm pot, and push in twiggy sticks at once. Water daily once the plants are in flower; a pot that dries out at this stage drops its flowers. Give the Seaweed Extract Powder at 1 g per litre every 2 to 3 weeks from first flower.
Common questions
What is the difference between mangetout and sugar snap peas?
Mangetout are picked flat, before the peas inside swell, and sugar snaps are picked when the pod is round, fat and crisp. Both are eaten whole. Mangetout are a little hardier and can be sown from March; sugar snaps are sweeter and are best sown from April.
Do mangetout need support?
Yes, all but the shortest varieties need something to climb. Most reach 1 to 1.8 m, so put up pea netting on posts, or a row of twiggy sticks for varieties under 1 m, at sowing time. Dwarf types such as Sugar Ann manage with a few short twigs.
Why are my sugar snap peas tough and stringy?
They were picked too late or grown short of water. Pods toughen within a few days of reaching full size, so pick every two days and water well from flowering onwards. Some older varieties also have a string along the seam that needs pulling off before eating.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.