Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mangetout Pea (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Snow pea, Sugar pea, Chinese pea.

More about mangetout pea

About Mangetout Pea

Pisum sativum var. saccharatum · also called Snow pea, Sugar pea · edible

Mangetout, or snow pea (Pisum sativum var. saccharatum), is a cool-season climbing pea grown for its flat, tender edible pods eaten whole before the seeds swell. A hardy annual, it climbs by tendrils up netting or twiggy supports and crops in cool spring and autumn weather. Pick pods young and flat for the sweetest, stringless eating.

Cold limit: USDA Cool-season crop in zones 2-11; spring and autumn sowings, avoiding summer heat · RHS H4 (10-21°C)

What mangetout pea's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for mangetout pea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA Cool-season crop in zones 2-11; spring and autumn sowings, avoiding summer heat — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for mangetout pea as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can mangetout pea go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when mangetout pea can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline mangetout pea

Mangetout Pea is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Mangetout Pea hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mangetout pea cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for mangetout pea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Mangetout Pea is grown as an annual in USDA Cool-season crop in zones 2-11; spring and autumn sowings, avoiding summer heat; you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature mangetout pea can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is mangetout pea?

Mangetout Pea is rated USDA Cool-season crop in zones 2-11; spring and autumn sowings, avoiding summer heat and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can mangetout pea survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect mangetout pea from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.