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When to plant bell pepper in San Francisco

How to grow Bell pepperSan Francisco climate
Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Bell pepper in San Francisco is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 153 days covers the 60–85 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors
March 11 – May 5
Transplant outside
May 20 – July 14
Harvest
July 19 – October 7
Season vs crop
153 grow days vs 60–85 needed

Bell pepper in San Francisco is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 153 days covers the 60–85 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

Bell pepper planting activities across the year: Start indoors, Grow indoors, Harden off, Transplant outside, Grow outdoors, HarvestJFMAMJJASOND
  • 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.
Suitable growing days in a row153
Days to harvest60–85 days from transplant
Mar 11 – May 5
Start indoors
May 6 – May 12
Grow indoors
May 13 – May 19
Harden off
May 20
Transplant outside
May 21 – Jul 18
Grow outdoors
Jul 19 – Oct 7
Harvest
ActivityWindowNotes
Start indoorsMar 11 – May 5Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoorsMay 6 – May 12Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden offMay 13 – May 19Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outsideMay 20Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoorsMay 21 – Jul 18Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
HarvestJul 19 – Oct 7Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.
Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. 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 (70 – 84 °F) and tolerable (55 – 95 °F) ranges.

Bell pepper planting and growing weeks in San FranciscoJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECPlantingGrowing
Planting uses sow / plant-out rules (frost, soil germination, night, and last-sow): green when plantable, blue diagonal when nights or soil are too cold, amber cross-hatch when too hot, faint for other calendar limits. Growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges across the year.

Key dates

Frost-free daysNot yet (short archive)
Earliest indoor seed startMarch 11
Latest indoor seed startMay 5
Transplant outdoorsMay 20 – July 14
Direct sow windownot recommended here
Suitable growing windowMay 20 – October 19 (153 days)
Expected harvestJuly 19 – October 7

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions
Daytime air from 70 – 84 °F.
Suitable conditions
Daytime air from 55 – 95 °F.
Last frost and first frost
Typical spring and fall frost dates for San Francisco, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest
60–85 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. The year strip and weekly chart use the same window: air ratings only colour weeks inside it.

Growing window for Bell pepper: May 20 – Oct 19 (153 days)

Planting window for Bell pepper: May 20 – Jul 14 (56 days)

Usually too cold: Jan 1 – May 17; Oct 19 – Dec 31

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for San Francisco. Shaded bands are this plant’s ideal and tolerable daytime air ranges. Growing is daytime air suitability; Planting is sow / plant-out conditions (same colour language). Window brackets mark each stretch.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec−10 °C14 °F0 °C32 °F10 °C50 °F20 °C68 °F30 °C86 °F40 °C104 °FTolerable 13–35 °CTolerable 55–95 °FIdeal 21–29 °CIdeal 70–84 °FWindowGrowingMay 20 – Oct 19PlantingMay 20 – Jul 14No typical frost here. Timing follows heat, not frost.
  • Ideal range
  • Tolerable range
  • Possible min to max
  • Average min to max
  • Suitable
  • Tolerable
  • Too cold
  • Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 21 · May 18 – May 24

Average 51 to 69 °F · Possible 47 to 82 °F

Growing: too cold (inside window)

Planting: suitable

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 55 to 95 °F; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 70 to 84 °F band and possible readings stay within 32 °F to 95 °F. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; any chance of frost (possible low below 32 °F) makes it too cold. When a sowing window is calculated, weeks outside that window are uncoloured even if air is in range.

Based on average frost dates.

Show all 53 weeks
Cover method weekly charts

Outdoor weekly chart is above. Open a cover chart only if you grow under fleece, a cold frame, or an unheated greenhouse.

Other plants for San Francisco

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

How we calculated this
  • Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 37.77, -122.42, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
  • Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
  • Crop rule: Local windows for Bell pepper from frost dates, temperature ratings, and crop timing rules.
  • Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
  • Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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