Growing peppers: timing, spacing and costs by zone
When to plant peppers in Zones 6–9, spacing, and what to know before you commit ground.
Not yet expert-reviewed. Written by BAU Farm Intelligence from public extension and agency sources. Check dates and program details with your local extension office.
When to plant
Peppers: warm-season, will not take a frost. Plant when soil reaches 75–85°F. Dates below are averages worked out from each zone's frost dates — check your own field.
- Zone 6b (Boone NC): set out May 8 – May 29; fall planting July 9 – July 30. First picking around July 24 – August 21.
- Zone 7b (Raleigh): set out April 22 – May 13; fall planting July 23 – August 13. First picking around July 8 – August 5.
- Zone 8b (Charleston SC): set out March 29 – April 19; fall planting August 16 – September 6. First picking around June 14 – July 12.
- Zone 9a (Gainesville FL): set out March 11 – April 1; fall planting September 1 – September 22. First picking around May 27 – June 24.
Setting it up
Grow as transplants, started about 8 weeks before last frost. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 30 inches apart, about 0.25 inch deep. Expect roughly 70 days to first harvest.
Field notes
Peppers need warmer soil than tomatoes. Wait until nights are consistently above 55°F or fruit set stalls.
How it fits each zone
- Zone 6b: good — Peppers is frost-tender, so timing the outdoor transplant to the last frost matters more here than in warmer zones. Row cover buys 2 weeks of head start.
- Zone 7b: excellent — Peppers is well suited to Zone 7b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
- Zone 8b: excellent — Peppers is well suited to Zone 8b. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
- Zone 9a: excellent — Peppers is well suited to Zone 9a. Standard planting dates work with minor adjustments for microclimates.
What it costs per acre
- 2026 Bell Peppers on Plastic Budget (University of Georgia CAES — Agricultural & Applied Economics, 2026): about $19,423 per acre in transcribed costs.
- Constructing a Southwest Florida Bell Peppers Enterprise Budget (FE1088) (UF/IFAS — Food & Resource Economics, 2020): about $14,881 per acre in transcribed costs.
- Bell Peppers (CCD-CP-87) — 2017 budget (University of Kentucky — Center for Crop Diversification, 2017): about $13,565 per acre in transcribed costs.
- University of Delaware Bell pepper budget — 2023 (University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, 2023): about $9,169 per acre in transcribed costs.
- Rutgers Table 53: Costs and Returns for Bell Pepper, Per Acre — 1996 (Rutgers Cooperative Extension — Farm Management, 1996): about $4,123 per acre in transcribed costs.
- 2008 Maryland Vegetable Enterprise Budgets: Peppers — Per Acre (University of Maryland Extension, 2008): about $4,342 per acre in transcribed costs.
- 2022 Sample Budget for Large-Scale Bell Pepper Production — Per Acre (University of Tennessee Extension, 2022): about $19,374 per acre in transcribed costs.
These are published budgets, not your costs. Plug your own numbers into the breakeven calculator before you commit ground.
Before you plant
Line up who will buy it and at what price before seed goes in the ground. See the planting calendar for your exact zone.
Sources
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- University of Georgia CAES — Agricultural & Applied Economics — 2026 Bell Peppers on Plastic Budget (2026)
- UF/IFAS — Food & Resource Economics — Constructing a Southwest Florida Bell Peppers Enterprise Budget (FE1088) (2020)
- University of Kentucky — Center for Crop Diversification — Bell Peppers (CCD-CP-87) — 2017 budget (2017)
- University of Delaware Cooperative Extension — University of Delaware Bell pepper budget — 2023 (2023)
- Rutgers Cooperative Extension — Farm Management — Rutgers Table 53: Costs and Returns for Bell Pepper, Per Acre — 1996 (1996)
- University of Maryland Extension — 2008 Maryland Vegetable Enterprise Budgets: Peppers — Per Acre (2008)
- University of Tennessee Extension — 2022 Sample Budget for Large-Scale Bell Pepper Production — Per Acre (2022)