When to plant pepper (sweet & chili) in San Jose
Pepper (sweet & chili) is frost-tender, so every date keys off San Jose's last spring frost of Feb 12.
Step 1 · Sow
Start seeds indoors
Jan 13 – Feb 3
Before your last frost, on a warm windowsill or heat mat.
Step 2 · Plant
Transplant outdoors
Jun 8 – Jun 29
Once frost risk has passed and nights stay mild.
Step 3 · Harvest
Harvest window
Aug 12 – Sep 6
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
65 – 90 d
San Jose's 294-day season leaves this much room.
Pepper (sweet & chili) on San Jose's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
FEB 12
DEC 3
Common questions
When will pepper (sweet & chili) be ready to harvest in San Jose?
Expect to harvest from around mid August (Aug 12–Sep 6) in San Jose, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 74%.
When should I start pepper (sweet & chili) seeds indoors in San Jose?
Start seeds indoors around mid January (Jan 13–Feb 3) in San Jose, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 78%.
When can I transplant pepper (sweet & chili) outdoors in San Jose?
Transplant outdoors around early June (Jun 8–Jun 29) in San Jose, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
How long is the growing season in San Jose?
San Jose has roughly 294 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow pepper (sweet & chili) to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow pepper (sweet & chili) 6–8 weeks before your last spring frost; plant out 2–3 weeks after it. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and San Jose's frost dates.
Confidence 82/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.