When to plant chili pepper in Tampa

In Tampa, typical last spring frost is January 15 and typical first fall frost is January 8. Typical last spring frost: January 15. Chili pepper in Tampa is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 278 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Tampa climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Tampa is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 278 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: December 12 – February 5
Transplant outside: February 13 – April 9
Harvest: April 14 – July 18
Season vs crop: 278 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): January 15 – January 8

Chili pepper in Tampa is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 278 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 row278

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Dec 12 – Feb 5

Start indoors

Feb 6 – Feb 12

Harden off

February 13

Transplant outside

Feb 14 – Apr 13

Grow outdoors

Apr 14 – Jul 18

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Dec 12 – Feb 5	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Feb 6 – Feb 12	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	February 13	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Feb 14 – Apr 13	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Apr 14 – Jul 18	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 frostJanuary 15

Low-risk last spring frostJanuary 30

Typical first fall frostJanuary 8

Low-risk first fall frostDecember 31

Frost-free days357.5

Earliest indoor seed startDecember 12

Latest indoor seed startFebruary 5

Transplant outdoorsFebruary 13 – April 9

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowFebruary 13 – November 17 (278 days)

Expected harvestApril 14 – July 18

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 Tampa, 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 Tampa

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 Tampa use ERA5-Land cell 27.95, -82.46. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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