When to Plant Snow Peas in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide

Sow March to September. Right now in October it is out of season. The next sowing month is March.

Also called mangetout, sugar snap peas.

Planting window
Sow direct from autumn to early spring. Ideal conditions here; later sowings run into heat and mildew.
Days to harvest
60 days
Sunlight
Full sun to light shade.
Water needs
Keep evenly moist especially during flowering and pod production. Water at base.
Spacing
8cm apart, 60cm between rows
Soil pH
6.0-7.5
Shop price
$22.52/kg average

Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Snow Peas guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Snow peas (mangetout, sugar peas, Chinese peas) are a cool-season legume grown for flat, edible pods eaten before peas develop. Like garden peas, fundamentally cool-season crops that fail in heat. Higher edible yield per plant than shelling peas since the entire pod is eaten.

See what grows now in your own postcode

Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
- - D D D D D D D - - -

S = Seed Tray   T = Transplant   D = Direct Sow

Want a nudge when it is Snow Peas sowing time in Melbourne?

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Current Growing Conditions

Soil temperature: 14.9°C (optimal range: 8–24°C) ✓ Ready to plant

Modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.

What this month normally looks like

In October the Cool Temperate zone normally runs 19°C by day and 8°C overnight, with about 67 mm of rain over 9 or 10 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -3.0°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 28 postcodes, SILO.

How to Grow Snow Peas in Cool Temperate Australia

When to Plant

Sow direct from autumn to early spring. Ideal conditions here; later sowings run into heat and mildew.

Soil
Well-drained, moderately fertile. Do not over-enrich with nitrogen.
pH Range
6.0-7.5
Sunlight
Full sun to light shade.
Spacing
8cm apart, 60cm between rows
Watering
Keep evenly moist especially during flowering and pod production. Water at base.

Companion plants: Carrot, Turnip, Radish, Lettuce

Avoid planting near: Onion, Garlic, Shallot

Grow before, grow after

Snow 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.

Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Snow Peas

Recommended Varieties

  • Oregon Giant
  • Yakumo Giant
  • Mammoth Melting
  • Yellow Podded
  • Purple Podded

Key Challenges

  • Winter waterlogging
  • Downy mildew

Pro Tips

  • Ideal zone, snow peas perform superbly
  • Succession sow for months of harvest
  • Raised beds for winter drainage

Harvesting Snow Peas

When ready: Pods flat, translucent green, peas inside barely visible. Snap crisply.

How to harvest: Pick with two hands. Hold stem, snap pod. Pick every 2 days minimum.

Worth growing?

A 2.4 m × 1.2 m bed fits 26 plants, about $117 worth at today’s Aldi, Coles and Woolworths prices, checked on 10 October.

That is roughly 5 kg at $22.52 a kilo.

Draw your snow peas bed → No account needed.

Where to next

What snow peas costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the cool temperate zone this October: Beetroot, Chilli Peppers, Cucumber and Sweet Corn.

The pest most likely to find your snow peas: Common Garden Snail.

Supermarket Price

Current average retail: $22.52/kg (12-month range: $11.96–$27.60)

Grow your own and save on grocery bills.

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Common Questions About Snow Peas

When do you plant snow peas in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Does snow peas grow all year round in Melbourne?

No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Mar to Sep. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.

What else is snow peas called?

Snow peas is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it mangetout, sugar snap peas. Same plant, same growing advice.

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 Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.