When to plant · 51 states · 2027 season
When to plant peppers, state by state
Eight weeks indoors on a heat mat (ten for habanero), then transplant one to two weeks after the last frost, once nights hold above 50 °F.
| State | Last frost median | Start indoors | Plant out median | Plant out warm – cold tenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Mar 21 | Jan 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 11 – Apr 11 |
| Alaska | May 18 | Mar 23 | May 25 | May 6 – Jun 8 |
| Arizona | Feb 18 | Dec 24 | Feb 25 | Jan 14 – May 22 |
| Arkansas | Mar 28 | Jan 31 | Apr 4 | Mar 23 – Apr 16 |
| California | Feb 7 | Dec 13 | Feb 14 | Jan 12 – May 11 |
| Colorado | May 7 | Mar 12 | May 14 | May 7 – Jun 13 |
| Connecticut | Apr 20 | Feb 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 21 – May 10 |
| Delaware | Apr 7 | Feb 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 10 – Apr 18 |
| District of Columbia | Mar 24 | Jan 27 | Mar 31 | Mar 31 – Apr 16 |
| Florida | Jan 30 | Dec 5 | Feb 6 | Jan 24 – Mar 11 |
| Georgia | Mar 23 | Jan 26 | Mar 30 | Mar 12 – Apr 10 |
| Hawaii | frost rare | Nov 20 | Jan 22 | — |
| Idaho | May 14 | Mar 19 | May 21 | May 1 – Jun 16 |
| Illinois | Apr 17 | Feb 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 14 – May 4 |
| Indiana | Apr 22 | Feb 25 | Apr 29 | Apr 18 – May 5 |
| Iowa | Apr 28 | Mar 3 | May 5 | Apr 27 – May 10 |
| Kansas | Apr 17 | Feb 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 15 – May 5 |
| Kentucky | Apr 15 | Feb 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 10 – May 1 |
| Louisiana | Feb 28 | Jan 3 | Mar 7 | Feb 10 – Mar 23 |
| Maine | May 6 | Mar 11 | May 13 | May 4 – May 23 |
| Maryland | Apr 5 | Feb 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 3 – Apr 29 |
| Massachusetts | Apr 27 | Mar 2 | May 4 | Apr 20 – May 14 |
| Michigan | May 3 | Mar 8 | May 10 | May 3 – May 30 |
| Minnesota | May 4 | Mar 9 | May 11 | May 2 – May 23 |
| Mississippi | Mar 16 | Jan 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 13 – Apr 8 |
| Missouri | Apr 11 | Feb 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 9 – Apr 26 |
| Montana | May 20 | Mar 25 | May 27 | May 16 – Jun 13 |
| Nebraska | Apr 27 | Mar 2 | May 4 | Apr 28 – May 15 |
| Nevada | Apr 15 | Feb 18 | Apr 22 | Jan 31 – Jun 9 |
| New Hampshire | May 8 | Mar 13 | May 15 | May 7 – May 27 |
| New Jersey | Apr 15 | Feb 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 9 – May 2 |
| New Mexico | May 2 | Mar 7 | May 9 | Apr 5 – Jun 5 |
| New York | May 1 | Mar 6 | May 8 | Apr 9 – May 21 |
| North Carolina | Mar 31 | Feb 3 | Apr 7 | Mar 29 – Apr 26 |
| North Dakota | May 12 | Mar 17 | May 19 | May 13 – May 26 |
| Ohio | Apr 24 | Feb 27 | May 1 | Apr 24 – May 8 |
| Oklahoma | Apr 4 | Feb 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 4 – Apr 19 |
| Oregon | Apr 11 | Feb 14 | Apr 18 | Mar 16 – Jun 3 |
| Pennsylvania | Apr 27 | Mar 2 | May 4 | Apr 21 – May 17 |
| Rhode Island | Apr 11 | Feb 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 18 – May 8 |
| South Carolina | Mar 24 | Jan 27 | Mar 31 | Mar 13 – Apr 13 |
| South Dakota | May 6 | Mar 11 | May 13 | May 8 – May 21 |
| Tennessee | Apr 6 | Feb 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 4 – Apr 27 |
| Texas | Mar 10 | Jan 13 | Mar 17 | Feb 9 – Apr 9 |
| Utah | May 5 | Mar 10 | May 12 | Apr 16 – Jun 8 |
| Vermont | May 13 | Mar 18 | May 20 | May 8 – May 28 |
| Virginia | Apr 11 | Feb 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 6 – May 3 |
| Washington | Apr 14 | Feb 17 | Apr 21 | Mar 15 – May 20 |
| West Virginia | Apr 23 | Feb 26 | Apr 30 | Apr 15 – May 11 |
| Wisconsin | May 4 | Mar 9 | May 11 | May 3 – May 26 |
| Wyoming | May 21 | Mar 26 | May 28 | May 18 – Jun 9 |
Each state's dates are the ZIP-weighted median of NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 station normals, scheduled for Jalapeño by the same engine as the Plan Builder. The last column is the spread between the warmest and coldest tenth of the state's ZIP codes. Open a state for every city and cultivar.
Jalapeño grow guide →Cayenne grow guide →Serrano grow guide →Marconi Red Pepper grow guide →Habanero grow guide →Every crop →Frost dates by city →