When to plant chili pepper in Chicago

In Chicago, typical last spring frost is April 12 and typical first fall frost is November 11. Typical last spring frost: April 12. Chili pepper in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 126 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Chicago climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 126 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: March 11 – April 18
Transplant outside: May 13 – June 20
Harvest: July 12 – October 31
Season vs crop: 126 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 12 – November 11

Chili pepper in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 126 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

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. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row126

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Mar 11 – Apr 18

Start indoors

Apr 19 – May 5

Grow indoors

May 6 – May 12

Harden off

May 13

Transplant outside

May 14 – Jul 11

Grow outdoors

Jul 12 – Oct 31

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Mar 11 – Apr 18	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoors	Apr 19 – May 5	Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden off	May 6 – May 12	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	May 13	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	May 14 – Jul 11	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jul 12 – Oct 31	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Start indoors
Grow 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 12

Low-risk last spring frostApril 21

Typical first fall frostNovember 11

Low-risk first fall frostOctober 31

Frost-free days212

Earliest indoor seed startMarch 11

Latest indoor seed startApril 18

Transplant outdoorsMay 13 – June 20

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMay 13 – September 15 (126 days)

Expected harvestJuly 12 – October 31

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 Chicago, 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 Chicago

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 Chicago use ERA5-Land cell 41.88, -87.68. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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