🌶️ When to Plant Peppers

🥬 Vegetable
Warm Season

Start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost

📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone

Select your zone to highlight your exact planting dates. Dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates.

Find my zone
Zone Last Frost Start Indoors Transplant Direct Sow
Zone 2A May 30 Mar 21 Jun 13
Zone 3B May 15 Mar 6 May 29
Zone 4A May 8 Feb 27 May 22
Zone 4B May 1 Feb 20 May 15
Zone 5A Apr 25 Feb 14 May 9
Zone 5B Apr 18 Feb 7 May 2
Zone 6A Apr 21 Feb 10 May 5
Zone 6B Apr 10 Jan 30 Apr 24
Zone 7A Apr 5 Jan 25 Apr 19
Zone 7B Mar 28 Jan 17 Apr 11
Zone 8A Mar 20 Jan 9 Apr 3
Zone 8B Mar 12 Jan 1 Mar 26
Zone 9A Feb 28 Dec 20 Mar 14
Zone 9B Feb 15 Dec 7 Mar 1
Zone 10A Feb 1 Nov 23 Feb 15
Zone 10B Jan 15 Nov 6 Jan 29
Zone 11A Jan 1 Oct 23 Jan 15

Peppers love heat even more than tomatoes. Both sweet and hot varieties need warm soil and plenty of sun.

Top Growing Tips

  • Wait until soil is 65°F+ before transplanting
  • Don’t over-fertilize with nitrogen — it produces leaves over fruit
  • Pinch first flowers to encourage bushier plants
  • Peppers prefer slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.8)
  • Harvest regularly to encourage continued production

Companion Planting

Good companions: tomatoes, basil, carrots, onions

Avoid planting near: fennel, kohlrabi

Harvest Timeline

60-90 days from transplant