When to plant peas in Charleston
Peas is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Charleston's frost dates of Apr 16.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Mar 12 – Apr 2
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 6 – May 21
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Jul 22 – Aug 5
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Sep 22 – Oct 7
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
55 – 70 d
Charleston's 186-day season leaves this much room.
Peas on Charleston'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 16
OCT 21
Common questions
When can I sow peas outdoors in Charleston?
Direct-sow around mid March (Mar 12–Apr 2) in Charleston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 88%.
When will peas be ready to harvest in Charleston?
Expect to harvest from around early May (May 6–May 21) in Charleston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 79%.
Can I plant peas in autumn in Charleston?
Yes — Charleston supports a second, autumn sowing of peas around late July (Jul 22–Aug 5), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Charleston?
Charleston has roughly 186 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 Charleston's frost dates.
Confidence 88/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.