Photo: Kolforn / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Peas

Pisum sativum

Also called Garden peas, Green peas, English peas and 13 more names

بازلاء

A cool-weather climber for Dubai's mildest months: sow October and November, pick from December to March, and finish before pod set stops in the heat.

Mature size0.6–1.8 m tall, 0.2–0.5 m spreadGrowthFastSunFull sunWaterModerate

Heat: 1 of 5

Salt: 2 of 5

Drought: 1 of 5

Shade: 2 of 5

Ease of care: 3 of 5

Use in a design Get it looked after

Also known as

The other names Peas is sold and searched under.

English names: Garden peas
Green peas
English peas
Shelling peas
Snow peas
Snap peas
Botanical names: Lathyrus oleraceus
Arabicالعربية: بازلاء
Hindiहिन्दी: मटर Matar
Urduاردو: مٹر Matar
Malayalamമലയാളം: പട്ടാണിപ്പയർ Pattani payar
ഗ്രീൻപീസ് Green peas
Tamilதமிழ்: பட்டாணி Pattani
Tagalog: Tsitsaro
Bengaliবাংলা: মটরশুঁটি Motorshuti
Persianفارسی: نخود فرنگی Nokhod farangi

Season

Through the Dubai year

How Peas behaves through Dubai's seasons, month by month.

JJan

FFeb

MMar

AApr

MMay

JJun

JJul

AAug

SSep

OOct

NNov

DDec

Avg high °C

24°

26°

29°

34°

38°

40°

42°

40°

36°

31°

27°

Sow seed

Plant out or sow in the bed

Oct – Dec

Aphids, cutworms and mildew

Jan – Mar

Pick every two to three days

Jan – Mar

Pods stop forming in the heat

Mar – May

Sow seed: Oct–Nov
Ministry calendar: nursery October–November. Sow 2.5 cm deep and 2.5–5 cm apart (Kentucky), and add a new row every week or two.
Plant out or sow in the bed: Oct–Dec
Ministry calendar: field planting October–December. Put the trellis or strings up first. Later sowings have fewer weeks before the heat.
Aphids, cutworms and mildew: Nov–Mar
Kentucky lists aphids in warmer weather, sowbugs and cutworms, and powdery mildew late in the season. Cutworms rank among the top insect pests on UAE vegetable farms.
Pick every two to three days: Dec–Mar
Ministry calendar: about 80 days to harvest; Kentucky: most peas need around 60 days. Pick shelling peas when pods are full and snow peas while flat.
Pods stop forming in the heat: Mar–May
Kentucky: pea plants often stop flowering and making pods above 85°F (29°C). Dubai's mean high is 28.9°C in March and 33.7°C in April.

Peas have a short, cool season in Dubai. Seed is sown in October and November and planted out until December, with new rows every week or two. Plants climb and flower through the coolest weeks, December to February, when the average high is 24 to 27°C. Pods are ready about 80 days after sowing, so picking runs from December to March. Aphids, cutworms and mildew need watching from November to March. In March and April the average high climbs from 29 to 34°C, pods stop forming, and the vines are cleared until the next autumn.

Meet the plant

Meet the Peas

Meet the pea, the plant that loves exactly the weather Dubai finally offers in January. Seed sown in November throws a tendril up a trellis within weeks and, in the cool air of midwinter, flowers and fills pods while the average high stays below 27°C.

Its character is delicate and quick. It climbs on its own tendrils, needs sun and steady moisture, and will drop flowers and stop making pods as soon as the weather warms. A short row sown every week or two keeps the picking going.

What it brings is the taste of peas eaten straight from the pod, sweet and crisp, within minutes of picking. Snap and snow peas are eaten pod and all, which makes them the easiest type to pick with children.

Peas are the coolest-natured crop in this library. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's calendar gives nursery sowing in October to November, field planting from October to December, and harvest about 80 days later. The University of Kentucky's beginner's guide calls peas a cool-season crop that survives cooler temperatures, and UF/IFAS says they are grown in the coolest parts of the year even in Florida. In Dubai that means the weeks from December to February, when the average high is 24 to 27°C and the average low 15 to 17°C.

Heat is the deadline. Kentucky says pea plants often stop flowering and making pods above 85°F (about 29°C). Dubai's mean high is 28.9°C in March and 33.7°C in April, so the crop has to be sown by early December to finish in time. Seed sown in early November on the Ministry's 80 days crops from late January, while seed sown in mid-December crops in early March, just before the pods stop. Sow a short row every week or two for a longer harvest, as Kentucky advises.

Peas are sown in place, 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep and 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) apart, and are easier to pick on a trellis or strings, which saves bed space (University of Kentucky; UF/IFAS). A double row either side of one trellis works well. Give them sun and enriched, sweet soil, and keep the soil evenly moist. FAO rates pea as moderately sensitive to salt, with a threshold of 3.4 dS/m. Pick shelling peas when the pods have filled, snap peas when the pods look almost full and snow peas while the pods are still flat, and harvest every two to three days.

Design

Where to use it

Trellis climberRaised-bed vegetableKitchen-garden stapleContainer crop

Put peas on a trellis or string frame along the north side of a bed, so the vines do not shade shorter crops, in a spot with plenty of sun and a drip line on a timer. A double row either side of one trellis doubles the picking per metre. Keep them near the kitchen and the terrace, where pods are eaten fresh.

Lettuce

A cool-season salad crop sown in the same weeks, which can use the bed's edge beside the trellis.

Coriander

Another quick, cool-season crop with an October–November window, so it shares the bed and the drip line.

Care guide

How to grow it in Dubai

Watering: Summer: Not grown in summer; the Ministry's window ends in December.
Winter: Water at the roots from a drip line finishing before 8 am (DEWA), keeping the soil evenly moist through flowering and pod fill.
Establishment: Keep the seed bed evenly moist until the seedlings are up, and protect the surface from drying winds. Use mains water.
Soil: A raised bed of sweet soil enriched with compost, with good drainage, in full sun (UF/IFAS asks for plenty of sun and enriched soil). Do not use the garden's salty sand on its own.
Feeding: Work compost into the bed before sowing. As legumes, peas fix much of their own nitrogen, so heavy feeding is unnecessary.
Pruning: No pruning. Give tall types strings or netting to climb, set up before sowing (Kentucky), and pick often to keep the plants cropping.
Planting: Sow in October and November, 2.5 cm deep and 2.5 to 5 cm apart, on both sides of a trellis, and repeat every week or two (Kentucky). Do not sow after early December.
Pests: AphidsCutwormsSowbugsPowdery mildew

The care steps and the full guide, in WhatsApp. You pick who gets them.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Sowing too late. Kentucky says peas stop making pods above 85°F (29°C), and Dubai's March average is 28.9°C, so sow by early December.
Skipping the trellis. Kentucky says all types are easier to pick if trellised, and tall ones need it.
Sowing one big row. Kentucky advises planting more seed every week or two for a longer harvest.
Leaving pods to age. Kentucky says to pick every two to three days; snap and snow pea pods that get tough can be shelled and eaten like regular peas.
Using salty water. FAO rates pea as moderately sensitive to salt, with yield falling above 3.4 dS/m.

Extra notes

Good to know

Three types are grown (Kentucky): English or shelling peas for the seeds, snap peas with edible pods, and snow peas with flat, tender pods.
Kew's Plants of the World Online treats Pisum sativum as a synonym of Lathyrus oleraceus (as Wikipedia notes), so you may see either name.
Kentucky: dwarf varieties reach two to three feet and finish in a week or two; tall vining types crop over several weeks.
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is an ornamental flower, not an edible pea, and has its own page on this site.

Toxicity: Garden peas are a normal food for people, and the ASPCA's vegetable-garden guide lists peas among garden crops that can be fed to pets as snacks in moderation. The ASPCA's toxic "rosary pea" is an unrelated plant, so do not confuse the two.

Pros

Thrives in Dubai's coolest weeks, December to February
Ministry calendar gives a clear window: sow October–November, plant out to December
Climbs a trellis, saving bed space (Kentucky, UF/IFAS)
Moderately salt tolerant for a legume: FAO threshold 3.4 dS/m
Picking every two to three days for weeks from tall vining types (Kentucky)

Cons

Pods stop forming above about 29°C, so the crop ends by March or April (Kentucky)
About 80 days to harvest (Ministry), longer than radish or lettuce
Needs a trellis: tall types reach about 1.8 m (Kentucky)
Aphids in warm weather and powdery mildew late in the season (Kentucky)
Small yield per plant: about 2 lb per 10 ft of row (Kentucky)

FAQ

Common questions

When should I sow peas in Dubai?

The Ministry's calendar gives nursery sowing in October to November and field planting from October to December. Sow in place in November, with the latest sowing in early December.

How long do peas take to crop?

The Ministry gives about 80 days to harvest, and Kentucky says most peas need around 60 days. Sown in November, picking starts in January.

Why did my peas stop producing pods?

Heat. Kentucky says pea plants often stop flowering and making pods above 85°F (29°C), and Dubai's average high passes that in March to April. Sow earlier next season.

Do I need to trellis peas?

Yes for tall types. Kentucky says all types are easier to pick if trellised, and tall varieties can reach about 6 feet (1.8 m). Dwarf types grow two to three feet tall.

Snow peas, snap peas or shelling peas?

Shelling peas are grown for the seeds, snap peas for crisp, edible pods picked almost full, and snow peas for flat, tender pods picked early (Kentucky). All are the same species.

Are peas safe for pets?

The ASPCA lists peas among garden crops that can be given as snacks in moderation. Its toxic rosary pea is a different plant.

Not sure how it suits your garden?

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