Growing in Melbourne

Best time to plant snow pea in Melbourne

Pisum sativum var. saccharatum

Also called mangetout, Chinese pea

Sow snow pea in Melbourne in Jan to Oct.

Flat, thin-walled pods set snow peas apart from the rounder, thicker snap pea. You eat the whole thing, pod and small seeds together, before it ripens. Despite the name, it is not planted any earlier than other peas, and Western Chinese restaurants use it often.

When to sow in Melbourne

Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. Its months for snow pea apply here without a frost adjustment.

Not yet checked against a local guide.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Melbourne

Frost usually arrives in Melbourne around mid June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From the average of its 2 Bureau of Meteorology stations, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
20mm
Plant spacing
20cm
Row spacing
30cm
Height
70cm
Germination
Best at about 22°C
Time to harvest
70-77 days
Frost
Hardy, takes a light frost
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Snow Pea elsewhere

Snow Pea across Australia