Once you know how to grow peas indoors, you’re going to want to try every type of sugar, snow, shell, and snap pea. With a simple setup and some seeds, you can grow peas for pea pods or shoots right inside your home.
Along with peas, indoor vegetable gardening shows you how to grow many different veggies and herbs in the same space.
Growing Peas Indoors
A Delicious Surprise!
Many gardening guides list seeds that can be started indoors, while others are better off sown directly in the ground. Peas are one of those plants that flourish with direct outdoor sowing (and do not like being transplanted).
However, one year I decided to try starting peas indoors to see how they would perform. I proceeded to forget about them (but still watered all of the plants) and when I finally checked, they were filled with pea pods! I love pea shoots in my daily salads so this was a very happy discovery.
How To Grow Peas Indoors
1 Sow the peas as directed on the seed package. Use organic growing medium suitable for vegetables.
I’ve tried at least a dozen different varieties over the years and all of them provided pea shoots and often peas as well.
Examples include:
- Oregon Giant peas
- Dwarf Grey Sugar peas
- Super Sugar Snap peas
- Little Marvel peas
- Green Arrow peas
- Purple Mist Organic peas
Use whatever variety you want and keep track of how it grows.
2 Keep the grow lights on at least 8-10 hours a day. Alternately you can grow them near a window receiving 8 hours of full sun per day. You can see my grow light setup here including details on exactly which bulbs I like to use.
Water as needed.
3 Provide trellis or supports as the vines grow. Truthfully, I leave mine and they still grow lots of peas.
4 Harvest the pea shoots for salads and pick the pods regularly and the plants should last for several months.
5 After about three months, start a fresh batch so you’ll have more ready when these ones are done.
While indoor peas are very good, there is nothing quite as sweet and delicious as peas grown directly outdoors in cooler spring or fall weather.
This guide will help you choose different varieties to try:
Also see Everything you need to know about growing peas indoors or outdoors.
Let me know any food you like to grow indoors. There’s lots of possibilities.
Recommended Books
If you want step-by-step instructions, these will help.
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- Growing Salads Indoors: A beginner’s guide to producing healthy delicious greens in your home year-round. Excellent way to get started.
- Indoor Kitchen Gardening: Turn your home into a year-round vegetable garden. Great for anyone ready to grow a variety of veggies indoors.
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
Stacey Lynn says
March 26, 2019 at 1:24 pmLoved the information here! I’m wondering, though, what size container to grow them in once mature? I have started mine and they look wonderful, but they’re outgrowing the egg carton I started the seeds in 🙂 I have large coffee cans and plastic containers about the same size. I have 12 plants, so if they can fit in something manageable, that would be great! Thanks in advance!
Melissa J. Will says
March 26, 2019 at 1:43 pmHi Stacey,
Great question. Peas will grow fairly deep roots if there is room. I’ve grown them in 6-inch deep containers but 12 is better. Your coffee cans with drainage holes would work. And add trellis of some kind when you move them so they have something to grab and climb up. Good luck!
Angela says
February 27, 2019 at 8:40 pmWill snap peas for an indoor container garden last forever if maintained and cycle through flowering and giving snap peas?
Melissa J. Will says
February 28, 2019 at 1:28 pmHi Angela, No, every plant has a limited lifespan and growing conditions are going to affect it. With indoor growing, just like container gardening, the challenge is to keep the soil nutritious for the plants (without overdoing it). I think my longest living indoor pea plant was about 3 years.
Sarah Demmer says
August 6, 2018 at 11:28 amWhat is a good variety to grow indoors?
Melissa J. Will says
August 6, 2018 at 12:11 pmHi Sarah, Good question! I’ve listed a few suggestion in the post. So far, I’ve found that every variety I’ve tried works. At minimum you’ll get pea shoots and in some cases pea pods.
jeri says
March 18, 2017 at 6:50 pmDo you have any more posters like this great one on peas?
Melissa J. Will says
March 18, 2017 at 10:09 pmHi Jeri,
Everything available is here: https://empressofdirt.net/free-printables/
mia says
January 24, 2017 at 1:44 pmHi,
I am growing them indoors and they seem to be a bit limp and have smaller leaves than usual. Do you have any suggestions for this?
Melissa J. Will says
January 24, 2017 at 1:51 pmHi Mia, Do you have them supported with some sort of trellis? Also, my instinct would be to offer more light or longer light hours each day, assuming the water and soil are good.
Laura says
April 7, 2016 at 7:22 pmPardon my ignorance, but what is a pea shoot? Thanks! Laura
Melissa J. Will says
April 7, 2016 at 10:10 pmHi Laura, It’s a part of a pea plant (a shoot) that is edible, just like the peas and the pods. They are new growth, tender, sweet, and (in my opinion) delicious. 🙂
Anna Pendergrass says
October 13, 2014 at 2:59 amCherry tomatoes do well grown inside also. I’ve scooped volunteers from my garden near frost time. You can also start from seeds. Be sure to have rich soil and plenty of sunlight or a growth light.
Anna Pendergrass says
October 13, 2014 at 3:01 amBe sure to keep the plants watered well also.