How to grow peppers

Peppers are slow starters and hate the cold. Give them a long head start indoors and a warm spot outside.

Reviewed October 2026

A glossy red bell pepper hanging on the plant — A red bell pepper on the plant. Photo: Anna Evans on Unsplash

Start indoors: 8–10 weeks before planting out
Plant outside: About 2 weeks after last frost
Spacing: 24 in apart, rows 36 in
Days to harvest: 65–80 from transplant (bell)

When to plant

Peppers take longer than tomatoes to reach transplant size. Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set them out, and transplant about 2 weeks after your average last frost, once nights have warmed. Use the planting planner for your dates.

Spacing

Set plants about 24 inches apart in rows about 36 inches apart. Virginia Tech's guide gives a range of 12 to 24 inches between plants, with smaller varieties at the close end.

Care

Keep soil evenly moist and mulch to hold in water.
Bell peppers are usually ready 65 to 80 days after transplanting. Pick them green, or leave them on the plant longer to ripen to red, yellow or orange.
Use clean scissors or pruners to harvest. Pulling can snap branches.

Heat and cold protection

Peppers can struggle with both extremes. UF/IFAS suggests shade cloth or row covers to cut heat and cold stress, especially for plantings in Florida's late summer.

Planting dates in Florida

Region	When to plant
North Florida	Late March to April, and July to August
Central Florida	January to March, and August to September
South Florida	August to February

Sources

When to plant your vegetable garden, UNH Cooperative Extension
Vegetable planting chart, University of Georgia Extension
Vegetable planting guide and recommended planting dates, Virginia Cooperative Extension
Florida vegetable gardening guide, UF/IFAS