When to plant chili pepper in Washington

In Washington, typical last spring frost is April 1 and typical first fall frost is November 11. Typical last spring frost: April 1. Chili pepper in Washington is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 145 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Washington climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Washington is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 145 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: February 24 – April 20
Transplant outside: April 28 – June 22
Harvest: June 27 – September 30
Season vs crop: 145 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 1 – November 11

Chili pepper in Washington is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 145 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 row145

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Feb 24 – Apr 20

Start indoors

Apr 21 – Apr 27

Harden off

April 28

Transplant outside

Apr 29 – Jun 26

Grow outdoors

Jun 27 – Sep 30

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Feb 24 – Apr 20	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Apr 21 – Apr 27	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	April 28	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Apr 29 – Jun 26	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jun 27 – Sep 30	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 frostApril 1

Low-risk last spring frostApril 11

Typical first fall frostNovember 11

Low-risk first fall frostNovember 5

Frost-free days223

Earliest indoor seed startFebruary 24

Latest indoor seed startApril 20

Transplant outdoorsApril 28 – June 22

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowApril 28 – September 19 (145 days)

Expected harvestJune 27 – September 30

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 Washington, 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 Washington

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 Washington use ERA5-Land cell 38.91, -77.04. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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