When to plant chili pepper in Boston

In Boston, typical last spring frost is April 10 and typical first fall frost is November 8. Typical last spring frost: April 10. Chili pepper in Boston is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 109 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Boston climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Tight fit in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Boston is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 109 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: March 17 – April 17
Transplant outside: May 19 – June 19
Harvest: July 18 – October 30
Season vs crop: 109 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 10 – November 8

Chili pepper in Boston is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 109 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 row109

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Mar 17 – Apr 17

Start indoors

Apr 18 – May 11

Grow indoors

May 12 – May 18

Harden off

May 19

Transplant outside

May 20 – Jul 17

Grow outdoors

Jul 18 – Oct 30

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Mar 17 – Apr 17	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoors	Apr 18 – May 11	Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden off	May 12 – May 18	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	May 19	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	May 20 – Jul 17	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jul 18 – Oct 30	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 10

Low-risk last spring frostApril 18

Typical first fall frostNovember 8

Low-risk first fall frostOctober 30

Frost-free days211

Earliest indoor seed startMarch 17

Latest indoor seed startApril 17

Transplant outdoorsMay 19 – June 19

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMay 19 – September 4 (109 days)

Expected harvestJuly 18 – October 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 Boston, 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 Boston

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 Boston use ERA5-Land cell 42.40, -71.10. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-12.

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