When to plant bell peppers in Bakersfield: 2 April – 24 August

In Bakersfield, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 11 January to 25 June; plant into a greenhouse from 12 March to 24 August; plant out into open ground from 2 April to 24 August.

Bell Pepper in Bakersfield: soil, season and weather

In Bakersfield the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 16 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 2 April, 45 days later.

Last spring frost	16 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	2 April, 45 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 March – 24 August; March outside: 7.7 °C at night, 21.5 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost	14 December, 256 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	11 June – 2 November
Days left for picking	186
Daylight	10:27 on 1 February, 12:36 on 2 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 4 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

The same dates in Bakersfield hold for Cucumber, Eggplant, Zucchini, Pumpkin and Watermelon.

Bell Pepper in Bakersfield: care after planting

Planted on 2 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

2 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
30 April — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of bell pepper to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Bakersfield during the bell pepper season

Days average above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C in May–September (31.6–40.7 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in April and October–December (4.3–12.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	27.2	11.5	24	4	13:04
May	31.6	15.7	11	2	14:01
June	37.3	20.3	1	0	14:32
July	40.7	23.7	0	0	14:20
August	39.5	22.7	6	0	13:31
September	35.7	19	4	1	12:26
October	29	12.7	7	1	11:20
November	21.2	6.9	33	4	10:19
December	16.3	4.3	50	6	9:47

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Bakersfield, Las Vegas is 1 day earlier and Santa Barbara 42 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Santa Barbara	122 km	14 May – 25 August	42 days later
Fresno	168 km	10 April – 15 August	8 days later
Riverside	217 km	2 April – 29 August	same day
San Jose	338 km	from 25 April	23 days later
Stockton	352 km	24 April – 13 August	22 days later
Las Vegas	361 km	1 April – 22 August	1 day earlier

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Bakersfield

Buy plants ready to set out from 2 April to 24 August (from 12 March to 24 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 11 January to 25 June. Within 15 km of Bakersfield OpenStreetMap lists 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

Haggin Oaks Farmers Market — market
Ming Avenue 8800, 93311 Bakersfield · 8 km

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions