When to plant peas in New Orleans
Peas is cold-hardy, so every date keys off New Orleans's frost dates of Feb 8.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Jan 20 – Feb 10
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Mar 16 – Mar 31
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Sep 9 – Sep 23
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Nov 10 – Nov 25
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
55 – 70 d
New Orleans's 304-day season leaves this much room.
Peas on New Orleans'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
FEB 8
DEC 9
Common questions
When can I sow peas outdoors in New Orleans?
Direct-sow around mid January (Jan 20–Feb 10) in New Orleans, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 79%.
When will peas be ready to harvest in New Orleans?
Expect to harvest from around mid March (Mar 16–Mar 31) in New Orleans, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 73%.
Can I plant peas in autumn in New Orleans?
Yes — New Orleans supports a second, autumn sowing of peas around early September (Sep 9–Sep 23), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in New Orleans?
New Orleans has roughly 304 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 New Orleans's frost dates.
Confidence 81/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.