When to plant peppers
Peppers are frost-tender: plant them out only after your last spring frost. Peppers are slower to germinate than tomatoes — start them first, on a heat mat if you can.
- Start seeds indoors 8–10 weeks before the last spring frost.
- Transplant outside 2–4 weeks after the last spring frost.
About 75 days from planting to harvest.
Get exact dates for your garden
Planting dates by hardiness zone
| Zone | Typical last frost | Start indoors | Transplant | Fall crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | May 24 | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | Jun 7 – Jun 21 | — |
| 3b | May 17 | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 31 – Jun 14 | — |
| 4a | May 12 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 26 – Jun 9 | — |
| 4b | May 8 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 22 – Jun 5 | — |
| 5a | May 3 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 17 – May 31 | — |
| 5b | May 1 | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | May 15 – May 29 | — |
| 6a | Apr 29 | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | May 13 – May 27 | — |
| 6b | Apr 22 | Feb 11 – Feb 25 | May 6 – May 20 | — |
| 7a | Apr 16 | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | — |
| 7b | Apr 5 | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Apr 19 – May 3 | — |
| 8a | Mar 29 | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | — |
| 8b | Mar 16 | Jan 5 – Jan 19 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | — |
| 9a | Mar 3 | Dec 23 – Jan 6 | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | — |
| 9b | Feb 20 | Dec 12 – Dec 26 | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | — |
| 10a | Mar 2 | Dec 22 – Jan 5 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | — |
Zone rows use the median frost dates of all ZIP codes in that zone. Zones measure winter cold, not season length, so two places in the same zone can have frost dates weeks apart — use your ZIP code for real dates.
When to plant peppers in major cities
| City | Median last frost | Start indoors | Transplant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | Mar 13 | Jan 2 – Jan 16 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 |
| Portland, OR | Feb 25 | Dec 17 – Dec 31 | Mar 11 – Mar 25 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | Apr 25 | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | May 9 – May 23 |
| Denver, CO | Apr 30 | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | May 14 – May 28 |
| Minneapolis, MN | Apr 23 | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | May 7 – May 21 |
| Chicago, IL | Apr 10 | Jan 30 – Feb 13 | Apr 24 – May 8 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 27 | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | May 11 – May 25 |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 |
| Columbus, OH | Apr 20 | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | May 4 – May 18 |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Jan 24 – Feb 7 | Apr 18 – May 2 |
| New York, NY | Mar 30 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Mar 30 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 |
| Washington, DC | Mar 29 | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 |
| Charlotte, NC | Mar 30 | Jan 19 – Feb 2 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 |
| Nashville, TN | Apr 1 | Jan 21 – Feb 4 | Apr 15 – Apr 29 |
| Atlanta, GA | Mar 25 | Jan 14 – Jan 28 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 |
| Dallas, TX | Mar 2 | Dec 22 – Jan 5 | Mar 16 – Mar 30 |
Growing peppers: quick facts
| Frost tolerance | Very tender: damaged by frost and stalled by cold; plant once nights stay above 50°F |
|---|---|
| Soil temperature | at least 60°F to germinate; 75–85°F is ideal |
| Planting depth | ¼ in |
| Spacing | 18–24 in |
| Germination | 8–21 days |
| Days to harvest | about 75 days from planting out |
Typical figures from university extension planting guides. Seed packets give the best numbers for a specific variety.