When to plant Pepper
Sweet and hot peppers are slow-growing tender perennials grown as annuals. They germinate and grow best in warm soil and reward patience with weeks of fruit. Cold nights stall them, so resist the urge to plant out early.
Companions: Basil, onion, carrot — keep away from fennel
How to grow Pepper
Pepper is usually started indoors and transplanted out, giving this tender crop the head start it needs. Give it full sun and space plants about 18 inches apart. It takes roughly 80 days from planting to its first harvest, so count that against your frost dates to be sure it can finish. Classic companions include basil, onion, carrot — keep away from fennel.
Grower's tip: Peppers love heat and are slow to start — give them an early indoor start and warm soil at transplant.
When to plant Pepper by USDA zone
Timing shifts with your climate — the same pepper goes in weeks earlier in a mild zone than a cold one. Find your zone below for its planting window, or open that zone's full calendar.
| Zone | When to plant |
|---|---|
| Zone 1a | Start seeds indoors Apr 13–Apr 27 Transplant outdoors Jun 29–Jul 6 |
| Zone 1b | Start seeds indoors Apr 8–Apr 22 Transplant outdoors Jun 24–Jul 1 |
| Zone 2a | Start seeds indoors Apr 3–Apr 17 Transplant outdoors Jun 19–Jun 26 |
| Zone 2b | Start seeds indoors Mar 28–Apr 11 Transplant outdoors Jun 13–Jun 20 |
| Zone 3a | Start seeds indoors Mar 23–Apr 6 Transplant outdoors Jun 8–Jun 15 |
| Zone 3b | Start seeds indoors Mar 18–Apr 1 Transplant outdoors Jun 3–Jun 10 |
| Zone 4a | Start seeds indoors Mar 13–Mar 27 Transplant outdoors May 29–Jun 5 |
| Zone 4b | Start seeds indoors Mar 8–Mar 22 Transplant outdoors May 24–May 31 |
| Zone 5a | Start seeds indoors Mar 3–Mar 17 Transplant outdoors May 19–May 26 |
| Zone 5b | Start seeds indoors Feb 26–Mar 12 Transplant outdoors May 14–May 21 |
| Zone 6a | Start seeds indoors Feb 17–Mar 3 Transplant outdoors May 5–May 12 |
| Zone 6b | Start seeds indoors Feb 11–Feb 25 Transplant outdoors Apr 29–May 6 |
| Zone 7a | Start seeds indoors Feb 3–Feb 17 Transplant outdoors Apr 21–Apr 28 |
| Zone 7b | Start seeds indoors Jan 28–Feb 11 Transplant outdoors Apr 15–Apr 22 |
| Zone 8a | Start seeds indoors Jan 18–Feb 1 Transplant outdoors Apr 5–Apr 12 |
| Zone 8b | Start seeds indoors Jan 11–Jan 25 Transplant outdoors Mar 29–Apr 5 |
| Zone 9a | Start seeds indoors Dec 27–Jan 10 Transplant outdoors Mar 14–Mar 21 |
| Zone 9b | Start seeds indoors Dec 14–Dec 28 Transplant outdoors Mar 1–Mar 8 |
| Zone 10a | Start seeds indoors Nov 29–Dec 13 Transplant outdoors Feb 14–Feb 21 |
| Zone 10b | Start seeds indoors Nov 13–Nov 27 Transplant outdoors Jan 29–Feb 5 |
| Zone 11a | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |
| Zone 11b | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |
| Zone 12a | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |
| Zone 12b | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |
| Zone 13a | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |
| Zone 13b | Start seeds indoors Oct 30–Nov 13 Transplant outdoors Jan 15–Jan 22 |