Thank you for reaching out to ask2.extension.

The inherent risk lies in the toxic seeds and pods of sweet pea plants, which, if ingested, can lead to serious health issues.

Any of these plants can be considered toxic to your dog, cat, or other small animals. Although they sound like they should be edible, sweet pea plants are not food. As a matter of fact, they contain the toxic chemical called aminoproprionitrile, which causes musculoskeletal and central nervous system problems.

As far as planting them next to edible vegetables, I didn’t find any information that the sweet pea would effect the vegetables, but caution was suggested due to the possibility of confusing sweet pea pods and edible pea pods.

You need to decide the risk of your animals eating the flowers.  My dog never bothered flowers, but some do.

Thank you for the information. VERY helpful. Thank you.