When to plant chili pepper in Minneapolis

In Minneapolis, typical last spring frost is April 21 and typical first fall frost is October 24. Typical last spring frost: April 21. Chili pepper in Minneapolis is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 110 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Minneapolis climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Tight fit in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Minneapolis is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 110 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: March 15 – March 29
Transplant outside: May 17 – May 31
Harvest: July 16 – October 11
Season vs crop: 110 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 21 – October 24

Chili pepper in Minneapolis is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 110 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 row110

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Mar 15 – Mar 29

Start indoors

Mar 30 – May 9

Grow indoors

May 10 – May 16

Harden off

May 17

Transplant outside

May 18 – Jul 15

Grow outdoors

Jul 16 – Oct 11

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Mar 15 – Mar 29	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoors	Mar 30 – May 9	Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden off	May 10 – May 16	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	May 17	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	May 18 – Jul 15	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jul 16 – Oct 11	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 21

Low-risk last spring frostMay 3

Typical first fall frostOctober 24

Low-risk first fall frostOctober 11

Frost-free days185

Earliest indoor seed startMarch 15

Latest indoor seed startMarch 29

Transplant outdoorsMay 17 – May 31

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMay 17 – September 3 (110 days)

Expected harvestJuly 16 – October 11

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 Minneapolis, 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 Minneapolis

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 Minneapolis use ERA5-Land cell 45.00, -93.30. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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