When to plant chili pepper in Riverside

In Riverside, typical last spring frost is February 5 and typical first fall frost is December 19. Typical last spring frost: February 5. Chili pepper in Riverside is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 161 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Riverside climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Tight fit in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Riverside is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 161 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: February 15 – April 11
Transplant outside: April 19 – June 13
Harvest: June 18 – September 21
Season vs crop: 161 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): February 5 – December 19

Chili pepper in Riverside is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 161 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

Start 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 row161

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Feb 15 – Apr 11

Start indoors

Apr 12 – Apr 18

Harden off

April 19

Transplant outside

Apr 20 – Jun 17

Grow outdoors

Jun 18 – Sep 21

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Feb 15 – Apr 11	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Apr 12 – Apr 18	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	April 19	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Apr 20 – Jun 17	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jun 18 – Sep 21	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Start 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 frostFebruary 5

Low-risk last spring frostFebruary 28

Typical first fall frostDecember 19

Low-risk first fall frostNovember 30

Frost-free days316

Earliest indoor seed startFebruary 15

Latest indoor seed startApril 11

Transplant outdoorsApril 19 – June 13

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowApril 19 – September 26 (161 days)

Expected harvestJune 18 – September 21

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 Riverside, 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 Riverside

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 Riverside use ERA5-Land cell 33.95, -117.40. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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