What to Plant With Peas: Pea Companion Plants (and What to Avoid)

Peas are a cool-season crop: UMN Extension notes they grow best between 55°F and 65°F and stop flowering once temperatures climb above about 85°F. That makes timing the biggest factor in planning around them. They go in as soon as the soil can be worked, they need a trellis or each other for support, and they are usually done by early summer, leaving space for a second crop. Here is what extension sources list, and how to plan around it.

Good companion plants for peas

Radishes and carrots

Both are listed pea companions and both are sown early in spring. Radishes are ready in a few weeks, so they fill space along the pea row before the vines spread. Carrots sit low and root deep, and a row on the sunny side of a pea trellis works well. See what to plant with carrots. Radish timing and companions are in what to plant with radishes.

Cucumbers and corn

Virginia Extension lists both as pea companions, though they are warm-season crops sown later. The practical pairing is in time rather than space: when peas finish in early summer, their trellis can carry cucumbers, and corn can go in next to the pea bed. More in what to plant with cucumbers and what to plant with corn.

Beans

Beans are listed as pea companions too. Both are legumes, so they share pests and diseases; it is fine to grow them in the same garden, but rotate both away from the spot where either grew last year. See what to plant with beans.

What not to plant with peas

Onions and garlic are the best-known keep-apart pair for peas, and Virginia Extension lists potatoes as incompatible as well. Onion sets and potatoes go in around the same early-spring weeks as peas, so it is easy to put them side by side without thinking. Give them separate beds. Our garlic guide and onion guide cover the other side of that rule, and every pair to separate is in the keep-apart chart.

When to plant peas

UMN Extension says to sow peas as soon as the ground has thawed and the soil is workable. Young plants survive light frost and grow at any temperature above 40°F, but a frost after they flower can damage the crop, so cover them if a late frost is forecast. Most varieties need about 60 days to harvest. You can sow a second and third time a week apart for a longer harvest. Our planting calendar turns your last frost date into a pea sowing window.

Planting, spacing and support

• Depth: about one inch deep, at a uniform depth, with the soil firmed over the seeds.
• Spacing: UMN Extension suggests seeds six to seven inches apart in a shallow trench for a single row, or about two inches apart in all directions for a wide row 12 to 18 inches across.
• Support: tall vining varieties can reach five feet and need a trellis, planted in a single row at its base. Bush types are two to three feet tall and can hold each other up in a wide row or lean on a short trellis.
• Soil: any well-drained soil with a pH of 6 to 7.5. Peas need less fertilizer than most crops; work in compost at planting and avoid "weed and feed" products.
• Handle seed gently: cracked seeds are unlikely to germinate in cool, wet spring soil.

A simple spring pea bed

1. Pea trellis along the north edge.

   So the vines do not shade shorter crops.

2. Radishes along the trellis.

   A listed companion, harvested before the peas fill out.

3. Carrots in the next row.

   Another listed companion with the same early sowing date.

4. Early summer: cucumbers on the same trellis.

   After the peas are pulled, a listed companion takes over the support.

Keep onions, garlic and potatoes in other beds. Our raised bed layouts include a 4×4 cool-season bed you can adapt.

Watering, harvest and pests

Because peas grow in cool, often wet weather, they may not need much watering; in a dry spring, soak the soil to about an inch a week, watering the soil rather than the vines. Mulch three to four inches deep with weed-free straw or clippings, and cultivate shallowly, since pea roots sit close to the surface.

Sample pods daily once they start filling, and pick as soon as the peas reach full size. UMN Extension notes that peas lose quality within one to three days after peak, turning starchy, so frequent picking matters. Cool them quickly after harvest. Watch for aphids, cutworms on young plants, and powdery mildew during hot, dry weather. When the vines finish, usually in early summer, turn them in and wait about two weeks before sowing a fall crop in the same spot.

Peas in containers

Bush or dwarf pea varieties grow well in a container with drainage holes and a small trellis or a few twiggy sticks for support. Sow them as early as the outdoor bed, and check moisture often, since containers dry out faster than garden soil.

Frequently asked questions

What grows well with peas?

Extension-listed companions for peas in our checker are beans, carrots, corn, cucumbers and radishes. The table on this page explains why each pairing works.

What should you not plant with peas?

Our sources list garlic, onions and potatoes as poor neighbors for peas.