When to plant chili pepper in San Francisco

In San Francisco, typical last spring frost is December 24 and typical first fall frost is December 22. Typical last spring frost: December 24. Chili pepper in San Francisco is not realistic outdoors: 0 suitable days are fewer than the 60 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper San Francisco climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Not realistic outdoors

Not realistic in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Chili pepper in San Francisco is a good fit in a cold frame. The suitable growing window of 214 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: July 30 – September 23
Transplant into cold frame: October 1 – November 25
Harvest: November 30 – March 5
Season vs crop: 214 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): December 24 – December 22

Chili pepper in San Francisco is a good fit in a cold frame. The suitable growing window of 214 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Estimate. Protection varies with the cover, the weather and how you vent it.

A closed cold frame keeps nights up to about 3–6 °C warmer than outside. Open it on sunny days.

Cover dates are modelled from weather-model data using published greenhouse studies. They are not measured in your greenhouse. A max–min thermometer inside will tell you more.

Planting conditions

Start indoors
Harden off
Transplant into cold frame
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 row214

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Jul 30 – Sep 23

Start indoors

Sep 24 – Sep 30

Harden off

October 1

Transplant into cold frame

Oct 2 – Nov 29

Grow outdoors

Nov 30 – Mar 5

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Jul 30 – Sep 23	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Sep 24 – Sep 30	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant into cold frame	October 1	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Oct 2 – Nov 29	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Nov 30 – Mar 5	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Start indoors
Harden off
Transplant into cold frame
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.

Protected frost and sowing dates are modelled estimates from weather-model data and published greenhouse studies, not measured in your greenhouse. A max–min thermometer inside will tell you more.

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, from modelled cover temperatures for the growing method you selected.

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

Frost-free days365

Earliest indoor seed startJuly 30

Latest indoor seed startSeptember 23

Transplant outdoorsOctober 1 – November 25

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowFebruary 18 – September 19 (214 days)

Expected harvestNovember 30 – March 5

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 San Francisco, 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 San Francisco

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 San Francisco use ERA5-Land cell 37.77, -122.42. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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