Crops › Peas (Mangetout)
How to grow Peas (Mangetout)
in the UK
Sow March to June, harvest June to September. About 65 days from seed to plate.
If you're after something really rewarding on the plot, mangetout peas are a cracking choice. They're dead easy to grow and honestly, nothing beats that sweet crunch straight from the plant.
Sowing
You can get your mangetout peas going from March right through to June, which is great for a steady harvest. Sow them direct outside about 2-3 cm deep, spacing each seed about 5 cm apart in a double row, leaving 15 cm between the rows. If you're starting early, a cold frame or even indoors on a windowsill can give them a head start before the weather properly warms up. Some folks buy plug plants too, which is a good shortcut, especially for later sowings.
Growing on
Once your seedlings are up and growing strong, make sure they've got proper support. These peas will climb, some varieties a good metre or more, so netting, pea sticks, or even just some twiggy branches will do the trick. If you started them indoors, remember to harden them off for a week or so before planting them out after the last frost, usually mid to late May up here. They do well in containers too, especially the dwarf types, just make sure the pot is big enough for their roots.
Looking after it
Mangetout like consistent moisture, so keep an eye on the watering can, especially when they're flowering and podding up. A bit of general purpose feed won't hurt if your soil's a bit tired. Mulching around the base with some compost can help keep the moisture in and suppress weeds too, saving you a job.
What goes wrong
The main bother you'll face is often slugs and snails when they're small, so keep an eye out. Later on, pea moths can lay eggs and their larvae munch on the pods, and aphids might show up too, but a strong jet of water can often sort them. Good airflow helps stop powdery mildew, so don't plant them too close.
Harvest
From sowing, you're usually looking at about 65 days until you're picking your first pods. The trick with mangetout is to pick them young and often, before the peas inside start to swell too much; that's when they're at their sweetest. Keep harvesting regularly, and the plant will keep on producing more for you. Best eaten fresh, but you can blanch and freeze any glut.
To be honest, I always try to sow a small batch of mangetout every few weeks right through spring; that way, you get a continuous supply and don't end up with a massive glut all at once.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Oregon Sugar Pod This is a classic flat-podded mangetout and one of the earliest to get going. It's a great choice if you're keen to get your first harvest nice and early in the season. | No club votes yet |
| Carouby de Maussane A cracking heritage variety that stands out with its beautiful purple flowers. It's a proper old-timer that adds a bit of colour and history to your plot. | No club votes yet |
| Shiraz This one's a real looker with its vibrant purple pods, adding a bit of visual interest to your harvest. Kids absolutely love growing and eating these colourful peas, you know what I mean. | No club votes yet |
| Delikett If you're after a really heavy crop, Delikett is a fantastic choice, giving you loads of pods. It's a reliable performer that just keeps on producing, which is always a bonus. | No club votes yet |
| Golden Sweet A speciality variety that stands out with its unique golden-yellow pods. It's a bit different and great for adding a splash of colour to your plate or market stall. | No club votes yet |
| Dwarf Grey Sugar This is a compact, dwarf variety, absolutely perfect for smaller spaces or growing in containers. Don't let its size fool you though, it still produces a decent crop of tasty pods. | No club votes yet |
| Reuzensuiker A proper Dutch giant, this heritage variety gives you lovely big sugar pods. It's known for its robust growth and good flavour, a real traditional favourite. | No club votes yet |
| Waverex Petit Pois This isn't strictly a mangetout, but it's an early petit pois type with tiny, super sweet peas. Great if you fancy shelling some really delicious little peas for an early treat. | No club votes yet |
| Snow Pea Mammoth As the name suggests, this one produces really large, flat pods and gives you a cracking heavy crop. It's a reliable choice for anyone wanting a good yield of traditional mangetout. | No club votes yet |
| Sugar Ann A fantastic dwarf variety that's known for its stringless, super sweet pods, perfect for snacking. It's ideal for growing in pots or smaller patches on the allotment. | No club votes yet |
| Cascadia If you've had trouble with diseases, Cascadia is a great shout as it's known for its resistance. It produces really tender, sweet pods, making it a reliable and tasty choice. | No club votes yet |
| Oregon Giant This variety lives up to its name, giving you extra-large, sweet pods in abundance. It's another excellent choice if you're after big yields and impressive mangetout. | No club votes yet |
| Bikini Bikini is a cracking early dwarf mangetout, so you can get your first harvest nice and quick. It's a good option for beginners or if you're keen to get a speedy crop. | No club votes yet |
| Bamby A great dwarf variety that's also a heavy cropper, perfect for pots or smaller raised beds. You'll get plenty of pods from these compact plants, which is always a bonus. | No club votes yet |
| Snow Windfall This is a brilliant maincrop variety that gives you a long season of continuous harvesting. It's a reliable workhorse for the allotment, providing pods over an extended period. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
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Cook the harvest
This is the soup to make in the height of summer when you have a glut and want nothing to do with a hot stove. Raw mangetout are blended with cucumber, fresh mint, and crème fraîche into something that tastes astonishingly green and alive. Serve it very cold with good bread alongside.
15 min · easyThis is the kind of salad that satisfies like a proper meal. Briefly blanched mangetout form the backbone, topped with crispy smoked bacon lardons, a soft-boiled egg, and a punchy grain mustard and sherry vinegar dressing. It comes together quickly enough for a weekday lunch but looks impressive enough for a summer dinner party starter.
25 min · easyA fragrant Thai-style curry that keeps the mangetout in for just the last two minutes so they stay crisp and sweet against the silky coconut sauce. The prawns and mangetout cook so quickly that dinner is genuinely on the table in under 35 minutes from a cold start. Serve with jasmine rice.
35 min · mediumFast, loud, and full of crunch — this weeknight stir-fry puts mangetout at the centre of a garlicky, gingery noodle dish. The pods go in with the heat cranked right up so they blister slightly at the edges while keeping their snap. A finishing drizzle of toasted sesame oil ties everything together.
22 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Questions people ask
When do you sow Peas (Mangetout) in the UK?
Sow Peas (Mangetout) from March to June.
How long does Peas (Mangetout) take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 65 days, with the harvest June to September.
Which Peas (Mangetout) varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Oregon Sugar Pod, Carouby de Maussane, Shiraz, Delikett and more.
Track your Peas (Mangetout) from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.