Sugar Snap Pea
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon
A cool-season legume prized for its sweet, edible pods. Sugar snap peas are fast-growing (55-70 days), frost-tolerant, and suited to Zones 3-11 as a spring or fall crop. They are a nitrogen-fixing legume that improves soil health, making them an excellent rotation crop. High demand at farmers markets and strong consumer appeal drive premium fresh-market pricing.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Sugar snap peas combine the plump seeds of English peas with the edible pod of snow peas. They are a cool-season crop that performs best when daytime temperatures are 55-65°F (13-18°C) and will cease flowering above 85°F (29°C). Plants are frost-hardy and seed can be direct-sown as soon as soil is workable in spring (germination at soil temps as low as 40°F / 4°C, optimal 60-75°F). Most varieties are climbing vines (4-6 ft) requiring trellis support, though dwarf bush types (2-3 ft) are available. Popular varieties include Sugar Snap (original), Super Sugar Snap, Cascadia, and Sugar Ann (dwarf). As legumes, peas fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules, reducing fertilizer needs and benefiting subsequent crops. Harvest is labor-intensive and must be done by hand for fresh market. Successive plantings every 2 weeks extend the harvest window. Peas have a very short shelf life (5-7 days) so proximity to markets is important.
Growing Season
- Plant
- early March – mid May
- Harvest
- late May – mid July
- Frost-free days
- 55+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 650 – 900
Yield
- Typical yield
- 4,000 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 630 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
1 active buyer on record purchasing this crop.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "increasing".
Supply Below Demand
3 of 4 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, vegetable supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
3 of 4 documented market channels rate viable or better (farmers_market, restaurant, csa). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
3 viable direct-market channels (farmers_market, restaurant, csa). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Mature vegetable market; growth over a 5-year horizon is expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-11; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 650 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~16 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 55 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 9 hardiness zones (3-11). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
Limited by high-severity risks. 5 criteria evaluated; 40% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 5 criteria evaluated; 40% cited.
Limited by high-severity risks. 5 criteria evaluated; 40% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- n/a
- Frost-free season
- 55+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 650+
- Winter chill
- n/a
- Rainfall
- 31.5–98.4 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.0–7.5
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- n/a
- Needs cold-air drainage
- n/a
- Shade tolerance
- none — full sun
- Mature height
- not yet recorded
- Rooting depth
- not yet recorded
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
2 of 4 documented equipment items are crop-specific (50%) against a catalog median of 29%. Above-median share of purpose-built equipment, implying real capital outlay.
Storage Available
2 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~16 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
350 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Labor-intensive — competes for scarce seasonal labor.
Processing Proximity
1 processor/cooperative buyer on record for this crop, 1 within NY/PA/OH.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Standard push seeder or tractor-mounted seeder for 2-3 inch in-row spacing.
general
Required for vining varieties (4-6 ft). Not needed for dwarf bush types. Reusable netting reduces annual cost.
harvesting
Shallow harvesting lugs to prevent crushing. Hand harvest only for fresh market quality.
post_harvest
Rapid post-harvest cooling is critical. Field heat removal within 1-2 hours of harvest doubles storage life.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage
Temperature
32–34°F
Humidity
90–95%
Max Storage
7 days
Frozen
Temperature
0–0°F
Max Storage
365 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $12,000/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Above median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Total input cost $8,500/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $6,300/ac. Above the top quartile.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 0 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $10.00 ($3,500/ac over 350 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Below median.
Grants/Subsidies
Vegetable crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $5/lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $12,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $8,500/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $0/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $8,500/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $3,500 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: UMN Extension, NC State Extension, Purdue Farmers Market Price Reports (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
3 of 4 documented risks are high-severity (75%) against a catalog median of 36%. Above-median concentration of high-severity risk, demanding intensive management.
Market Diversified
3 viable market channels of 4 documented, plus 1 named buyer. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
0 years to full production at $0/ac establishment cost. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-11 (9 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a vegetable revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Most common pea disease. White powdery fungal growth on leaves and pods. Reduces pod quality and yield. Appears most commonly in late season as temperatures rise and humidity increases.
Complex of soilborne pathogens causing yellowing, wilting, and death of plants. Favored by cool, wet soil conditions, especially in poorly drained fields. Can devastate stands.
pest
Green aphids that colonize growing tips and pods. Transmit pea enation mosaic virus and other viral diseases. Can reduce yield and pod quality at high populations.
environmental
Peas cease flowering and pod set when temperatures consistently exceed 85°F (29°C). Crops planted too late will have dramatically reduced yields as summer heat arrives. This is the primary yield-limiting factor.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 42 kcal | 723,930 kcal |
| Protein | 2.8 g | 48,262 g |
| Total fat | 0.2 g | 3,447 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.5 g | 130,135 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g | 44,815 g |
| Sugar | 4 g | 68,946 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
No cultivars recorded yet for this crop.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Sugar Snap Pea →
Avoid near, or plan around (28)
Grows with (10)
Tolerates (1)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Eden Valley Growers
Eden, NY · 30.0 mi
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: UMN Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, NC State Extension, Oregon State Extension
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
50 tracked changes across 9 data categories
