DibbleGrowing hot peppers: from seed to harvest
Chilies need even more heat than sweet peppers. Start indoors 8 weeks before last frost and transplant 2 weeks after, into warm soil.
Planting dates for hot peppers by zone
| Zone | Start seeds indoors | Sow or transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | March 20 | May 29 | August 17 |
| Zone 4 | March 15 | May 24 | August 12 |
| Zone 5 | March 5 | May 14 | August 2 |
| Zone 6 | February 24 | May 5 | July 24 |
| Zone 7 | February 13 | April 24 | July 13 |
| Zone 8 | January 31 | April 11 | June 30 |
| Zone 9 | January 4 | March 15 | June 3 |
| Zone 10 | December 6 | February 14 | May 5 |
| Zone 11 | November 6 | January 15 | April 5 |
These dates use typical frost dates for each zone. Dibble tunes them to your exact ZIP and lets you adjust frost dates for your own yard.
Companion plants
Good neighbors for Hot Pepper:
Better kept apart:
Family and rotation
Hot Pepper is in the nightshades family. Heavy feeders and disease-prone. Rotate so nightshades don't return to a bed for 3 years. Learn about crop rotation.
Related crops
Tomato
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Questions
When should I plant hot peppers?
It depends on your zone. Hot Pepper is a tender crop, so the timing follows your last spring frost. Look up your zone in the table below for exact start, sow, and harvest dates, or open Dibble and enter your ZIP to get your own calendar.
How long does it take to grow hot peppers?
About 80 days from transplant to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 70 days after that.
What grows well with hot peppers?
Good companions include Basil, Onion, Carrot, Marigold. Keep it away from Fennel, Bean (bush).
Plant at the right time this season
Dibble builds your calendar in under a minute. Free to start, no account needed.