When to plant chili pepper in Phoenix

In Phoenix, typical last spring frost is January 17 and typical first fall frost is December 22. Typical last spring frost: January 17. Chili pepper in Phoenix is doable with planning outdoors. 60 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (60 days) but not slow ones (100 days).

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Phoenix climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Tight fit

Not realistic in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Phoenix is doable with planning outdoors. 60 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (60 days) but not slow ones (100 days).

Start indoors: January 18 – February 27
Transplant outside: March 22 – May 1
Harvest: May 21 – September 23
Season vs crop: 60 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): January 17 – December 22

Chili pepper in Phoenix is doable with planning outdoors. 60 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (60 days) but not slow ones (100 days).

Start seeds indoors January 18 – February 27, then transplant March 22 – May 1 so the crop can finish outdoors.

Planting conditions

Start indoors
Grow indoors
Harden off
Transplant outside
Grow outdoors
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row60

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Jan 18 – Feb 27

Start indoors

Feb 28 – Mar 14

Grow indoors

Mar 15 – Mar 21

Harden off

March 22

Transplant outside

Mar 23 – May 20

Grow outdoors

May 21 – Sep 23

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Jan 18 – Feb 27	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoors	Feb 28 – Mar 14	Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden off	Mar 15 – Mar 21	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	March 22	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Mar 23 – May 20	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	May 21 – Sep 23	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Start indoors
Grow indoors
Harden off
Transplant outside
Grow outdoors
Harvest

Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost (35 seasons (1991–2025)). Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (21 – 32 °C70 – 90 °F21 – 32 °C (70 – 90 °F)) and tolerable (16 – 35 °C61 – 95 °F16 – 35 °C (61 – 95 °F)) ranges.

Ideal / plantable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot
Outside window

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules; growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostJanuary 17

Low-risk last spring frostFebruary 22

Typical first fall frostDecember 22

Low-risk first fall frostNovember 30

Frost-free days338

Earliest indoor seed startJanuary 18

Latest indoor seed startFebruary 27

Transplant outdoorsMarch 22 – May 1

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMarch 22 – May 20 (60 days)

Expected harvestMay 21 – September 23

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 21 – 32 °C70 – 90 °F21 – 32 °C (70 – 90 °F).
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 16 – 35 °C61 – 95 °F16 – 35 °C (61 – 95 °F).
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Phoenix, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 60–100 days from transplant, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. Air ratings on the weekly chart colour only weeks inside that same window — see weekly temperatures and windows.

Other plants for Phoenix

Calculated by Plan & Plant. Method. Data 35 seasons (1991–2025).

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics.

Based on 35 years (1991–2025) of ERA5-Land data from Open-Meteo, for an area of about 10 km. Typical dates, not a guarantee.

Dates for Phoenix use ERA5-Land cell 33.45, -112.07. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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