Alaska Early

Family: Fabaceae Legume

Planting Schedule

Provide your location or planting zone to unlock dates and add Alaska Early to a garden.

Sweet, cool-season pods that feel like they’re already bursting with flavor—Alaska Early delivers crisp, tender peas with a bright, garden-fresh sweetness.

The compact plants produce abundant, uniformly filled pods for reliable shelling, with peas that hold their shape and offer a clean, succulent bite. Ideal for home gardeners seeking a dependable early harvest at about 55 days, Alaska Early shines in shelling-focused plantings where you want a quick, satisfying yield.

Light: Full SunMaturity: 55 DaysHabit: Upright

Location not set yet

Enter your ZIP for local crop dates

Alaska Early Planting Dates by USDA Zone

Estimated US hardiness-zone windows for sow, transplant, and harvest. Enter a US ZIP above for exact local dates, or open a zone below.

Zone	Start Indoors	Sow / Transplant	Harvest
Zone 1a	Protected Environment Only
Zone 1b	Direct Sow	Jun 1st	Jul 26th – Aug 1st
Zone 2a	Direct Sow	May 25th	Jul 19th – Aug 29th
Zone 2b	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 9th – Aug 25th
Zone 3a	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 9th – Sep 1st
Zone 3b	Direct Sow	May 19th	Jul 13th – Sep 21st
Zone 4a	Direct Sow	May 15th	Jul 9th – Sep 24th
Zone 4b	Direct Sow	May 13th	Jul 7th – Sep 27th
Zone 5a	Direct Sow	May 8th	Jul 2nd – Sep 30th
Zone 5b	Direct Sow	May 4th	Jun 28th – Oct 5th
Zone 6a	Direct Sow	May 1st	Jun 25th – Oct 10th
Zone 6b	Direct Sow	Apr 25th	Jun 19th – Oct 16th
Zone 7a	Direct Sow	Apr 20th	Jun 14th – Oct 20th
Zone 7b	Direct Sow	Apr 10th	Jun 4th – Oct 28th
Zone 8a	Direct Sow	Apr 1st	May 26th – Nov 5th
Zone 8b	Direct Sow	Mar 23rd	May 17th – Nov 12th
Zone 9a	Direct Sow	Mar 6th	Apr 30th – Nov 26th
Zone 9b	Direct Sow	Feb 9th	Apr 5th – Dec 9th
Zone 10a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 10b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 11a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 11b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 12a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 12b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 13a	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th
Zone 13b	—	Oct 1st	Nov 25th – Feb 28th

Crop Details

Trait	Value
Days to Maturity	55
Sun Requirements	Full Sun
Growth Habit	Upright
Support Needed	Trellis
Planting Depth	Normal
Germination Temp (°F)	45
Min Soil Temp (°F)	40
Min Night Temp (°F)	30
Harden Off (days)	Not Required

Culinary Notes

Chef's Note

Alaska Early is a shelling pea built for speed: pick young and you get a crisp, uniformly tender pop rather than a mealy crush. Cook it briefly—then hit it with butter and lemon for that vivid, sweet finish that tastes unmistakably early-season.

Best Uses

quick steam and toss with browned butter for a glossy coat
stir into a hot pan of butter, garlic, and lemon zest for fast gloss
puree into a smooth pea side or base for soup—keep it loose, not gummy
freeze-friendly shelling: blanch briefly to lock in shape and sweetness

Flavor Profile

bright, garden-fresh sweetness crisp-tender bite with clean pop starchy edge that turns silky when cooked light vegetal fragrance

Kitchen Pairings

brown butter lemon zest garlic parmesan shallot mint

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I manage powdery mildew on Alaska Early (55-day) plants?

Powdery mildew shows up as a gray-white powder on leaves, often first on the lower foliage. Remove and trash heavily affected leaves, then improve airflow by spacing plants and avoiding overhead watering. If it keeps spreading, spray with a labeled sulfur or potassium bicarbonate product every 7–10 days until new growth is clear.

How often should I water Alaska Early during the main growing phase (weeks 3–6)?

Keep the soil consistently evenly moist—aim for about 1 inch of water per week, split into 2–3 waterings if it’s hot or windy. Check with your finger 1–2 inches deep; water when it feels dry at that depth, not daily on a schedule. Avoid soggy soil because it can trigger leaf diseases and poor root development.

When is Alaska Early ready to harvest at 55 days?

Harvest when pods/heads (depending on the crop you planted) reach their typical size for the variety and the exterior looks firm and fully developed, usually right around day 55. For the best quality, pick in the morning and use the “look-and-feel” cue—avoid harvesting if parts are still loose/soft or undersized, since yield drops with early picking.