When to plant peppers?

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the Orto editorial team

Sow peppers indoors from February to April, at 18-21 °C. Plant them out once soil and air are at 18-20 °C: in Valle d'Aosta in May and June, and in Sicily in the open ground from mid-May to June.

Young pepper plants freshly transplanted in a garden row

When, by region

	North	Centre	South
Sow indoors	February to April, at 18-21 °C. For outdoor plants, the RHS moves sowing to late March or early April.	Umbria's guide does not fix a month. Keep the northern window.	A greenhouse lets you start earlier. Without heat, from February.
Plant out	May to June, once soil and air are at 18-20 °C. Cold keeps plants and fruit small, and frost stops them.	The same threshold, usually sooner than in the mountains. Don't plant out at 16 °C just because a tomato would.	In Sicily, in the open ground, from mid-May to June. In Campania the date depends on open ground or a greenhouse; after solarisation, greenhouse planting is February–March.

Months from Valle d'Aosta and Sicily. Below 18-20 °C, plants and fruit stay small.

February–March–April indoors and May–June at 18-20 °C are from Valle d'Aosta's Informatore Agricolo, the same issue as tomatoes. Germination at 18-21 °C, 16-18 °C after emergence, nights above 12 °C and better growth above 15 °C are from the RHS. Mid-May to June in the open ground, 80 cm between rows and 40 cm along the row, are from Sicily. Fruit set at 16-21 °C at night and 25-28 °C by day, and drop above 30 °C, are from Campania. The months are in the February calendar, May and June.

A long spell indoors

Sow somewhere warm, not in a cold bed. The RHS gives 18-21 °C (65-70 °F) for germination, then 16-18 °C (60-64 °F) in bright light. Once two true leaves show, move each plant to a 7.5-9 cm (3-3.5 in) pot. For a greenhouse, sow from mid-February to early March; for outdoors, in late March or early April, so the plants are not stuck in pots for months.

In Campania, transplant plants at least 50 days old, 15-20 cm tall, with 4-5 true leaves. The method is in starting seeds indoors and the homemade seedbed. Aubergines start later: the months are in when to plant aubergines.

Outside, spacing, pots

Valle d'Aosta plants out once soil and air are at 18-20 °C, in May and June, with the root ball intact. Rows 50-60 cm apart, plants 40-50 cm apart. In Sicily, in the open ground, rows 80 cm apart and plants 40 cm apart, 3-4 plants per square metre. The RHS, in the ground, uses 38-45 cm (15-18 in), and 30 cm (1 ft) for compact varieties. Above 30 °C (86 °F) fruit set is poor: ventilate the greenhouse.

In a pot, one at least 30 cm (1 ft) wide, one plant, or two or three in a growing bag. Full sun, shelter, and a cane: the stem is brittle. In Valle d'Aosta, to get the fruit ripe, leave at most 5-6 sweet peppers per plant. Chilli plants can keep all of theirs. Pot size is in the container garden.

Water, rotation, fruit

Keep the soil evenly moist. In Campania and Umbria, drought shows up while the fruit is swelling; at flowering, ease off without letting the soil dry out. Overhead watering, Umbria writes, encourages fungi. How much is in watering.

Don't put them where peppers, tomatoes, potatoes or aubergines grew in the last few years. The gap, for late blight, is in the late blight guide, under pests and diseases. In Umbria, under cover, you return to the same spot only after at least four crops of other species, neither solanums nor cucurbits. The plan is in crop rotation. A dark patch only on the tip of the fruit is blossom end rot: University of Minnesota Extension reports it on peppers too.

In the app

Every plant in the catalogue has its own sowing calendar, and weather alerts for your area help you judge whether to sow now or hold off.

Frequently asked questions

Do peppers share the tomato sowing dates?

The indoor start is similar, but in Valle d'Aosta peppers run from February to April and go out at 18-20 °C, not at the tomato's 16 °C. January is too early.

When do I plant them out in the north?

In May and June, once soil and air are at 18-20 °C. Earlier, the plants stay small and the fruit does not ripen. In Sicily, in the open ground, from mid-May to June.

How many fruits do I leave?

In Valle d'Aosta, at most 5-6 sweet peppers per plant, so they ripen. Chilli plants can keep all of theirs. The RHS says pinching above 30 cm gives more, smaller fruits, but delays them.

Do they grow in a pot?

Yes, one at least 30 cm wide, one plant, in the sun. In a growing bag the RHS sets two or three. They need a cane.

Can I plant them where tomatoes were?

Better not. The gap for tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and aubergines is the late-blight one. In Umbria, in a greenhouse, wait at least four crops of other families.