DibbleGrowing peppers: from seed to harvest
Peppers love warmth. Start indoors 8 weeks before last frost and wait until soil is warm (2 weeks after frost) to transplant.
Planting dates for peppers by zone
| Zone | Start seeds indoors | Sow or transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | March 20 | May 29 | August 7 |
| Zone 4 | March 15 | May 24 | August 2 |
| Zone 5 | March 5 | May 14 | July 23 |
| Zone 6 | February 24 | May 5 | July 14 |
| Zone 7 | February 13 | April 24 | July 3 |
| Zone 8 | January 31 | April 11 | June 20 |
| Zone 9 | January 4 | March 15 | May 24 |
| Zone 10 | December 6 | February 14 | April 25 |
| Zone 11 | November 6 | January 15 | March 26 |
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 Pepper:
Better kept apart:
Family and rotation
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
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Questions
When should I plant peppers?
It depends on your zone. 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 peppers?
About 70 days from transplant to the first harvest, with a picking window of roughly 60 days after that.
What grows well with peppers?
Good companions include Basil, Onion, Carrot, Marigold. Keep it away from Fennel, Bean (bush).
Plant at the right time this season
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