When to plant chili pepper in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, typical last spring frost is April 3 and typical first fall frost is November 12. Typical last spring frost: April 3. Chili pepper in Philadelphia is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 136 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Chili pepper

How to grow Chili pepper Philadelphia climate Weekly temperatures and windows

Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Comfortable in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Chili pepper in Philadelphia is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 136 days covers the 60–100 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors: March 2 – April 23
Transplant outside: May 4 – June 25
Harvest: July 3 – November 5
Season vs crop: 136 grow days vs 60–100 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): April 3 – November 12

Chili pepper in Philadelphia is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 136 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 row136

Days to harvest60–100 days from transplant

Mar 2 – Apr 23

Start indoors

Apr 24 – Apr 26

Grow indoors

Apr 27 – May 3

Harden off

May 4

Transplant outside

May 5 – Jul 2

Grow outdoors

Jul 3 – Nov 5

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Mar 2 – Apr 23	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoors	Apr 24 – Apr 26	Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden off	Apr 27 – May 3	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	May 4	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	May 5 – Jul 2	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jul 3 – Nov 5	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 3

Low-risk last spring frostApril 13

Typical first fall frostNovember 12

Low-risk first fall frostNovember 5

Frost-free days222

Earliest indoor seed startMarch 2

Latest indoor seed startApril 23

Transplant outdoorsMay 4 – June 25

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowMay 4 – September 16 (136 days)

Expected harvestJuly 3 – November 5

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 Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia

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 Philadelphia use ERA5-Land cell 39.95, -75.16. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.

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