When to Plant Peas (Garden/Shelling) in Alice Springs, Arid / Semi-Arid Guide
Sow March to June. Right now in October it is out of season. The next sowing month is March.
Grow Peas in your space
- Planting window
- Sow in autumn in full sun and very fertile soil, and stake well. Peas will not set pods during frosts and get mildew in spring heat.
- Days to harvest
- 60 days
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade (tolerates afternoon shade in warmer zones)
- Water needs
- Keep evenly moist, especially during flowering and pod fill. Water at base, not overhead...
- Spacing
- 8cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.5
Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
This Peas (Garden/Shelling) guide is written for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, which takes in Alice Springs, Broken Hill and Port Augusta. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Garden peas are a cool-season legume best suited to temperate and cold Australian climates. They fix nitrogen in the soil and produce sweet, protein-rich seeds inside inedible pods. Genuinely unsuitable for tropical zones and marginal in subtropical areas except during the coolest months.
See what grows now in your own postcode
Planting Calendar for Arid / Semi-Arid
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | S/D | S/T/D | S/T/D | T/D | - | - | - | - | - | - |
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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Current Growing Conditions
Soil temperature: 24.8°C (optimal range: 8–24°C) ✗ Outside optimal range
Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Alice Springs), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like
In October the Arid / Semi-Arid zone normally runs 32°C by day and 16°C overnight, with about 19 mm of rain over 2 or 3 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was 1.9°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 10 postcodes, SILO.
How to Grow Peas (Garden/Shelling) in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
When to Plant
Sow in autumn in full sun and very fertile soil, and stake well. Peas will not set pods during frosts and get mildew in spring heat.
- Soil
- Well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Do not over-enrich. Peas fix their own nitrogen.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade (tolerates afternoon shade in warmer zones)
- Spacing
- 8cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist, especially during flowering and pod fill. Water at base, not overhead. Reduce watering as pods mature.
Companion plants: Carrot, Turnip, Radish, Cucumber, Corn
Avoid planting near: Onion, Garlic, Chives, Leek
Grow before, grow after
Peas sit in the legumes turn of a four turn bed rotation.
- Grow before it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
- Grow after it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
Give the bed 3 turns before legumes go back in. Beans and peas fix nitrogen, so they leave the bed richer than they found it.
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Peas (Garden/Shelling)
Recommended Varieties
- Greenfeast
- Massey Gem
- Early maturing varieties
Key Challenges
- Dry air causes rapid moisture loss
- Short viable window between heat waves
- Water requirements higher than humid zones
Pro Tips
- Shade cloth (30%) helps extend the season
- Drip irrigation essential. Peas need consistent moisture during flowering
- Mulch heavily to retain soil moisture
Harvesting Peas (Garden/Shelling)
When ready: Pods plump and well-filled but still bright green. Peas inside should be round but not starchy. Test by eating one, should be sweet.
How to harvest: Hold stem with one hand, pick pod with the other to avoid uprooting plant. Harvest every 2-3 days. Pick from the bottom of the plant upward.
Preserving: pressure canning
4 tested pressure-canning recipes for Peas: 2 where it is the crop being canned and 2 where it is a main ingredient. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.
Where to next
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Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.auCommon Questions About Peas (Garden/Shelling)
When do you plant peas in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): May to Jun
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Aug
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to Sep
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to Oct
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Jun
- Mediterranean (Perth): Apr to Sep
Does peas grow all year round in Alice Springs?
No. In the Arid / Semi-Arid zone the planting months are Mar to Jun. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, Alice Springs is its reference city.