When to plant peas in Boston
Peas is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Boston's frost dates of Apr 4.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Apr 5 – Apr 26
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 30 – Jun 14
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Aug 10 – Aug 24
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Oct 11 – Oct 26
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
55 – 70 d
Boston's 220-day season leaves this much room.
Peas on Boston's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
FROST
APR 4
NOV 9
Common questions
When can I sow peas outdoors in Boston?
Direct-sow around early April (Apr 5–Apr 26) in Boston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.
When will peas be ready to harvest in Boston?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 30–Jun 14) in Boston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
Can I plant peas in autumn in Boston?
Yes — Boston supports a second, autumn sowing of peas around early August (Aug 10–Aug 24), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Boston?
Boston has roughly 220 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow peas to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow peas as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Boston's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.