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When to plant bell pepper in Austin

How to grow Bell pepperAustin climate
Where are you growing?

Comfortable

Not realistic in greenhouse

Comfortable in a cold frame

Bell pepper in Austin is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 60–85 days this plant usually needs.

Start indoors
January 10 – March 6
Transplant outside
March 21 – May 15
Harvest
May 20 – August 8
Season vs crop
124 grow days vs 60–85 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall)
February 20 – January 6

Bell pepper in Austin is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 60–85 days this plant usually needs.

Planting conditions

Bell pepper planting activities across the year: Start indoors, Grow indoors, Harden off, Transplant outside, Grow outdoors, HarvestJFMAMJJASOND~Feb 20~Jan 6
  • 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 row124
Days to harvest60–85 days from transplant
Jan 10 – Mar 6
Start indoors
Mar 7 – Mar 13
Grow indoors
Mar 14 – Mar 20
Harden off
March 21
Transplant outside
Mar 22 – May 19
Grow outdoors
May 20 – Aug 8
Harvest
ActivityWindowNotes
Start indoorsJan 10 – Mar 6Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Grow indoorsMar 7 – Mar 13Seedlings grow indoors until harden or transplant.
Harden offMar 14 – Mar 20Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outsideMarch 21Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoorsMar 22 – May 19Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
HarvestMay 20 – Aug 8Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.
Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost. 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 (70 – 84 °F) and tolerable (55 – 95 °F) ranges.

Bell pepper planting and growing weeks in AustinJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECPlantingGrowing
Planting uses sow / plant-out rules (frost, soil germination, night, and last-sow): green when plantable, blue diagonal when nights or soil are too cold, amber cross-hatch when too hot, faint for other calendar limits. Growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges across the year.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostFebruary 20
Safer last spring frostMarch 7
Typical first fall frostJanuary 6
Safer first fall frostDecember 26
Frost-free days319
Earliest indoor seed startJanuary 10
Latest indoor seed startMarch 6
Transplant outdoorsMarch 21 – May 15
Direct sow windownot recommended here
Suitable growing windowMarch 21 – July 22 (124 days)
Expected harvestMay 20 – August 8

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions
Daytime air from 70 – 84 °F.
Suitable conditions
Daytime air from 55 – 95 °F.
Last frost and first frost
Typical spring and fall frost dates for Austin, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest
60–85 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. The year strip and weekly chart use the same window: air ratings only colour weeks inside it.

Growing window for Bell pepper: Mar 21 – Jul 22 (124 days)

Planting window for Bell pepper: Mar 21 – May 15 (56 days)

Usually too cold: Nov 16 – Dec 31

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Austin. Shaded bands are this plant’s ideal and tolerable daytime air ranges. Growing is daytime air suitability; Planting is sow / plant-out conditions (same colour language). Window brackets mark each stretch.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec−20 °C−4 °F−10 °C14 °F0 °C32 °F10 °C50 °F20 °C68 °F30 °C86 °F40 °C104 °FTolerable 13–35 °CTolerable 55–95 °FIdeal 21–29 °CIdeal 70–84 °FWindowGrowingMar 21 – Jul 22PlantingMar 21 – May 15No typical frost here. Timing follows heat, not frost.
  • Ideal range
  • Tolerable range
  • Possible min to max
  • Average min to max
  • Suitable
  • Tolerable
  • Too cold
  • Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 12 · Mar 16 – Mar 22

Average 54 to 72 °F · Possible 42 to 85 °F

Growing: too cold

Planting: not sowable

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 55 to 95 °F; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 70 to 84 °F band and possible readings stay within 32 °F to 95 °F. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; any chance of frost (possible low below 32 °F) makes it too cold. When a sowing window is calculated, weeks outside that window are uncoloured even if air is in range.

Based on average frost dates.

Show all 53 weeks
Cover method weekly charts

Outdoor weekly chart is above. Open a cover chart only if you grow under fleece, a cold frame, or an unheated greenhouse.

Other plants for Austin

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

How we calculated this
  • Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 30.27, -97.74, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
  • Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
  • Crop rule: Local windows for Bell pepper from frost dates, temperature ratings, and crop timing rules.
  • Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
  • Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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