How to Grow Mangetouts | Care, Pests & Disease Control

Mangetout (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon)

A field row of flowering mangetout pea plants — “Pisum sativum subsp sativum var macrocarpon” by Zenon Sych is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

2 sources cited · Verified

The short answer

Site
6+ hours of sun
Biggest risk
Fusarium wilt

Mangetouts (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon) — Annual, climbing by tendrils, deciduous foliage (RHS).

This crop carries an unusually heavy problem load: 5 diseases and 8 pests are documented for it, so most of the effort in growing it well goes into prevention.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Diseases

A row of mangetout plants supported by canes — “Starr 080914-9941 Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum” by Forest & Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Starr 080914-9941 Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum” by Forest & Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Fusarium wilt (pea)
moderate

Fusarium sp.

RHS names Fusarium wilt among this crop's diseases without specifying the forma specialis, so recorded here as Fusarium sp. rather than inventing a specific one.

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page ("powdery mildews", no specific species or severity given).

Downy mildew (general)
low

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page ("downy mildews", no specific species or severity given).

Fuzzy grey-brown Botrytis mould covering a tomato stem — Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Grey mould
low

Botrytis cinerea

Soft brown fruit decay; Fuzzy grey-brown mould

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page ("grey mould", no severity given).

Foot and root rot (general)
low

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page ("foot and root rot", no severity given).

Pests

Mangetout pods hanging on the vine — “Pisum sativum Горох цукровий сорт Іловецький у технічній стиглості” by Zenon Sych is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Pisum sativum Горох цукровий сорт Іловецький у технічній стиглості” by Zenon Sych is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Mice
moderate

Muridae (mice, various spp.)

RHS names mice specifically as a threat to newly-sown pea seed.

Pea moth
moderate

Cydia nigricana

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as one of the main pests (no severity grading given).

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page (no severity grading given).

Pea and bean weevil
low

Sitona lineatus

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page (no severity grading given).

Thrips
low

Thysanoptera

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page (no severity grading given).

Pigeons
moderate

Columbidae (family)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page; pigeons are a well-known real threat to pea foliage and pods.

Slugs
moderate

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page; slugs are a genuine, well-documented threat to young pea seedlings.

Snails
low

Gastropoda (snails, various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page (no severity grading given).

Quick Facts

A field row of flowering mangetout pea plants — “Pisum sativum subsp sativum var macrocarpon” by Zenon Sych is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Pisum sativum subsp sativum var macrocarpon” by Zenon Sych is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Sunlight 6-8 hours direct sun
Germination temp 21C
Optimal growing temp 13-18C
Minimum survivable temp 1C
Soil texture Chalk, clay, loam or sand (RHS)
Drainage Moist but well-drained (RHS)
Lifecycle Annual, climbing by tendrils, deciduous foliage (RHS).
Edible parts pods, seeds

At a Glance

Close-up of a purple and magenta mangetout pea flower — “Pisum sativum1” by Smartbyte is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Pisum sativum1” by Smartbyte is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Pisum sativum var. macr… Mangetout Fusarium wilt (pea) Powdery mildew Downy mildew (general) Grey mould Foot and root rot (gene… Mice Pea moth Aphids Pea and bean weevil Thrips Pigeons Slugs Snails DISEASES PESTS

Growth Stages

A young mangetout pea seedling in soil — “Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum Ilowiecki 2017-04-26 8701” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum Ilowiecki 2017-04-26 8701” by Salicyna is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and establishment 0 Propagate by seed (RHS); germinates best at around 70F/21C (NC State Extension). NC State recommends planting in early spring (around February in North Carolina) while the weather is still cool.
Vegetative growth 3 A climbing annual reaching 1-1.5m, using tendrils to climb; needs full sun and a moist but well-drained soil (RHS). A cool-weather crop that dislikes summer heat (NC State Extension).
Flowering 6 White, pink or mauve butterfly-shaped flowers (RHS).
Fruiting and harvest 8 Mangetout pods are picked flat, before the peas swell; sugar snap pods are picked once the peas have filled the pod but it is still tender -- both types come from the same plant/variety, just picked at different points (RHS; NC State Extension).

Harvest & Storage

A pile of harvested flat mangetout pods — “Starr 070730-7867 Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum” by Forest & Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Starr 070730-7867 Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum” by Forest & Kim Starr is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: Mangetout: pick while pods are still flat, before the peas inside swell. Sugar snap: pick once the pod has filled out and the peas are plump but the pod wall is still tender and crisp, not tough or fibrous (RHS; NC State Extension). Both the pod and the peas inside are eaten whole for both types.

References

  1. Cool-weather spring crop, germinates best around 70F, planted around February in NC. Snow peas: flat pods, crisp, eaten as pod only. Sugar snap peas: notably larger pods than snow peas, both pod and pea eaten. Confirms the two are grown and treated the same way, differing mainly in pod type/harvest stage.

  2. Annual climber, deciduous. Hardiness H2 (1-5C min). Soil: chalk/clay/loam/sand, moist but well-drained, acid/alkaline/neutral. Full sun. Height 1-1.5m, spread 0.5-1m, 1yr to maturity. Propagate by seed. Pests: pea moth, aphids, pea and bean weevil, thrips, pigeons, slugs, snails, mice (newly-sown seed). Diseases: powdery mildews, downy mildews, foot and root rot, Fusarium wilt, grey mould, pea leaf and pod spot, virus diseases. Native to SW Asia/NE Africa, not GB/Ireland. Edible: green pods and peas. White/pink/mauve flowers. Description explicitly covers both mangetout (flattened pods) and sugar snap (thick fleshy pods) types as the same variety.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect mangetouts?

Our data links 5 diseases and 8 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team

Science-based growing guides · Thresholds that hold in any climate

This guide states the conditions the plant itself responds to — soil temperature, frost tolerance, day length — rather than dates, because the same calendar month means opposite seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Anything genuinely restricted to one part of the world is named as such rather than presented as universal. Written and maintained by our editorial team against international horticultural research and extension sources.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Last verified 2026-09-03