Best Pea Varieties for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s cool, damp springs give you a genuine advantage with peas — but only if you pick varieties that can make the most of our compressed growing window. The wrong variety in zone 5b will barely size up before heat shuts it down. The right one will fill your freezer.
This guide covers all three types of peas worth growing in PA — snap, snow, and shelling — ranked by how they actually perform in our zones 5a through 7a.
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Table of Contents
The Three Types of Peas
Before picking a variety, you need to decide what type of pea you want to grow — because they’re harvested at different stages and eaten differently.
- Snap peas — harvested when the pod is fully round and filled out. You eat the whole pod, seeds and all. Sweetest option fresh off the vine. These are the most popular choice for home gardeners and the best all-around variety for PA.
- Snow peas — harvested when the pod is still flat, before the seeds fill out. Tender, delicate flavor. Classic for stir-fries. Lower yield per plant than snap peas but faster to mature.
- Shelling peas (garden peas) — you shell these and eat only the seeds. More work than snap or snow peas, but if you grew up eating them this way or want to freeze a big batch, they’re worth it. Lincoln and Wando are the classics in PA.
For most Pennsylvania gardeners, snap peas are the easiest win. One packet of Sugar Snap gives you a crop that’s easy to grow, fast to harvest, and delicious raw or cooked. If you’ve never grown peas before, start there.
PA Pea Growing Season
Quick Reference
Best Snap Peas for Pennsylvania
Snap peas are the best entry point and the most versatile option for PA. They tolerate a wide soil temperature range, climb well in our unpredictable spring weather, and the harvest window is longer than shelling peas because you can pick them early (flat, like a snow pea) or let them fill out fully.
Sugar Snap (Bush Beams or Climbing)
The original snap pea, developed in 1979 and still one of the best. Climbing variety that grows 5–6 feet tall — you’ll need a sturdy trellis. Days to maturity: 70 days. Thick, crunchy pods with exceptional sweetness. One of the most widely grown snap peas in PA home gardens because it performs reliably in zones 5a through 7a.
The one downside: at 70 days, it’s on the longer end. In zone 5a and 5b, you need to plant early enough to have that window.
Super Sugar Snap
An improvement on the original — same great flavor but with better disease resistance, particularly to powdery mildew, which can be a real problem in humid PA summers. Days to maturity: 64 days. Still a climber at 5–6 feet. This is what I’d recommend if you’ve had mildew problems in your garden.
Cascadia
The best snap pea for zone 5a and 5b gardeners with a tight window. Days to maturity: 60 days, and it’s a compact bush variety at only 30–32 inches tall. Excellent disease resistance, good sweetness, and the shorter height means you can get away with a simple stake or short trellis. Also a strong choice for fall planting in zones 6b–7a.
Sugar Ann
Another compact snap pea (18–24 inches) with a 52-day maturity — the fastest snap pea in this list. Perfect for zone 5a gardeners who need to maximize every day of cool weather, or for zone 7a gardeners doing a fall planting where the window is short. Pods are smaller than Sugar Snap but flavor is excellent.
Best Snow Peas for Pennsylvania
Snow peas mature faster than snap or shelling peas because you’re harvesting them before the seeds fully develop. That shorter window (55–65 days for most varieties) makes them a reliable choice for zone 5b and 5a, where the spring growing window is genuinely compressed.
Oregon Sugar Pod II
The standard for snow peas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Days to maturity: 60 days. Vigorous climbing plant (4–5 feet) with large, tender pods. Excellent disease resistance — notably resistant to fusarium wilt, which shows up in PA soils that have grown peas repeatedly. Good flavor for fresh eating and stir-fry.
Mammoth Melting Sugar
Heirloom variety that’s been grown in PA gardens for generations. Days to maturity: 72 days. Tall climber (4–5 feet) with large, sweet pods. The longer maturity is worth it for the pod size and sweetness — but it’s not the right pick for zone 5a where every day counts. Best for zones 6a through 7a.
Dwarf Gray Sugar
Short vine (24–30 inches), 57-day maturity, and one of the more cold-tolerant snow peas you can find. Can be direct sown even when ground temps are near 40°F. A good choice for early planting in any zone, or for container growing on a balcony or patio.
Best Shelling Peas for Pennsylvania
Shelling peas require the most work — you’re discarding the pod — but the flavor of a fresh-shelled pea from the garden has no commercial equivalent. And if you’re growing peas to freeze a large quantity, shelling varieties typically yield more usable peas per plant than snap types.
Lincoln
One of the most recommended shelling peas for Pennsylvania. Days to maturity: 67 days. Bush type at 24–28 inches. Excellent heat tolerance relative to other shelling varieties — important in PA where the weather can flip from cool to 80°F in a week. Consistently good yields with a sweet, tender pea.
Wando
The go-to shelling pea for heat tolerance. Days to maturity: 68 days. Wando was bred specifically for growing in warm conditions, which makes it the best shelling pea for late plantings in zones 6a–6b, or for gardeners who miss the ideal window. Bush type, compact, reliable. Flavor is good but not quite as sweet as Lincoln.
Green Arrow
High-yield shelling variety with 68-day maturity. The pods are unusually long (4–5 inches) with 8–10 peas per pod, which makes the shelling work go faster. Upright bush at 24–28 inches with good disease resistance. A solid choice for anyone who wants to grow peas for freezing.
Little Marvel
Classic compact shelling pea at 15–18 inches. Days to maturity: 63 days. Good disease resistance, sweet flavor, and the short plant height makes it one of the easiest shelling peas to stake or support. Good choice for zone 5a/5b where you want a shorter-season option.
Full Variety Comparison
| Variety | Type | Days | Height | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Snap | Snap | 70 | 5–6 ft | Zones 6a–7a | Classic; needs trellis |
| Super Sugar Snap | Snap | 64 | 5–6 ft | Zones 6a–7a | Better mildew resistance |
| Cascadia | Snap | 60 | 30–32 in | All zones | Best for zones 5a–5b |
| Sugar Ann | Snap | 52 | 18–24 in | Zones 5a; fall planting | Fastest snap pea |
| Oregon Sugar Pod II | Snow | 60 | 4–5 ft | All zones | Fusarium wilt resistant |
| Mammoth Melting Sugar | Snow | 72 | 4–5 ft | Zones 6a–7a | Large pods, heirloom |
| Dwarf Gray Sugar | Snow | 57 | 24–30 in | All zones; containers | Very cold-tolerant |
| Lincoln | Shelling | 67 | 24–28 in | Zones 6a–7a | Best flavor; heat tolerant |
| Wando | Shelling | 68 | Bush | Late plantings | Best heat tolerance |
| Green Arrow | Shelling | 68 | 24–28 in | Freezing/high yield | Long pods, 8–10 peas each |
| Little Marvel | Shelling | 63 | 15–18 in | Zones 5a–5b | Compact, easy to stake |
Zone-by-Zone Picks
Select your region to highlight the best variety choices for your planting window:
| Zone | Top Snap Pea | Top Snow Pea | Top Shelling Pea | Key Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5a (Mountains) | Sugar Ann (52 days) | Dwarf Gray Sugar (57 days) | Little Marvel (63 days) | Short window — prioritize speed over size |
| 5b (Scranton/Erie) | Cascadia (60 days) | Oregon Sugar Pod II (60 days) | Little Marvel (63 days) | Compact bush varieties give more flexibility |
| 6a (Pittsburgh/Harrisburg) | Super Sugar Snap (64 days) | Oregon Sugar Pod II (60 days) | Lincoln (67 days) | Best zone for variety selection; most options work |
| 6b–7a (Philly/Reading) | Sugar Snap (70 days) | Mammoth Melting Sugar (72 days) | Wando (68 days) | Longer window allows heirloom varieties; fall planting viable |
Season planning: Check our month-by-month Pennsylvania planting guide to keep your garden producing all year.
>Frequently Asked Questions About Pea Varieties in Pennsylvania
What is the best pea to grow in Pennsylvania? For most PA gardeners, Sugar Snap or Super Sugar Snap is the best starting point. They’re vigorous, sweet, and perform well across zones 6a–7a. In zone 5a and 5b where the spring window is shorter, swap to Cascadia (60 days) or Sugar Ann (52 days). For dedicated shelling pea growers, Lincoln is the gold standard in zones 6a and warmer. What’s the difference between snap peas and snow peas? Snow peas are harvested when the pod is flat and the seeds are just beginning to form — you eat the whole pod. Snap peas are harvested after the pod has filled out and rounded; the pod is thick and crunchy. Snap peas are generally sweeter and have a longer harvest window. Snow peas are more tender and cook faster, making them better for stir-fry. Do peas need a trellis in Pennsylvania? Climbing varieties (Sugar Snap, Oregon Sugar Pod II, Mammoth Melting Sugar) definitely need a trellis — they’ll reach 4–6 feet and will fall over without support. Bush varieties (Cascadia, Sugar Ann, Little Marvel) are more self-supporting but still benefit from a short stake or fence. In PA’s sometimes windy spring weather, even bush types anchor better with a little support. Can I grow peas in PA clay soil? Yes, but you’ll want to amend it. Peas need well-drained soil — they’ll rot in waterlogged clay. Work in 2–3 inches of compost before planting to improve drainage and loosen the seedbed. In heavy clay, raised beds are the easiest solution. Peas actually don’t need rich soil (they fix their own nitrogen), so you’re mainly trying to solve the drainage problem. Which pea varieties are best for fall planting in PA? Fall planting is only reliable in zones 6b–7a, where you have enough frost-free weeks in late summer to get a harvest. For fall, choose the fastest-maturing varieties: Sugar Ann (52 days), Cascadia (60 days), or Dwarf Gray Sugar (57 days). Plant in mid-to-late August for a late September to October harvest before hard frost arrives. How many pea plants do I need to get a useful harvest? For fresh eating, a 15–20 foot row is usually enough for a family. For freezing, plan on at least 50–75 feet of row — shelling peas especially shrink down significantly after shelling. Peas are a low-calorie crop by weight, so most gardeners underestimate how many plants they need. Succession planting every 2 weeks through April extends the harvest window rather than requiring one massive planting.What is the best pea to grow in Pennsylvania?
What’s the difference between snap peas and snow peas?
Do peas need a trellis in Pennsylvania?
Can I grow peas in PA clay soil?
Which pea varieties are best for fall planting in PA?
How many pea plants do I need to get a useful harvest?
