When to plant bell peppers in Columbia: 28 March – 9 August

In Columbia, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 6 January to 10 June; plant into a greenhouse from 7 March to 9 August; plant out into open ground from 28 March to 9 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Gardener's Outpost (garden centre, 2 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bell Pepper in Columbia: soil, season and weather

In Columbia the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 9 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 28 March, 19 days later.

Last spring frost	9 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 March, 19 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 March – 9 August; March outside: 8.7 °C at night, 20.6 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost	29 November, 246 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	6 June – 18 October
Days left for picking	176
Daylight	10:24 on 27 January, 12:24 on 28 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 4 days; the driest month, November, has 7 rainy days

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

Bell Pepper in Columbia: care after planting

Planted on 28 March: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

28 March — feed: balanced (NPK)
25 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 Columbia during the bell pepper season

Days average above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C in June (31.6 °C), July (33.2 °C) and August (31.6 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in March, April and October, November (8.1–13.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
March	20.6	8.7	91	10	11:56
April	24.7	12.1	94	8	13:01
May	28.3	16.9	118	11	13:55
June	31.6	20.9	89	12	14:24
July	33.2	23.2	121	16	14:13
August	31.6	22.2	120	14	13:27
September	29.6	19.4	105	9	12:25
October	24.5	13.9	68	7	11:22
November	19	8.1	62	7	10:25

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Columbia, Savannah is 31 days earlier and Asheville 57 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Charlotte	138 km	13 April – 24 July	16 days later
Greenville	159 km	23 April – 2 August	26 days later
Charleston	170 km	12 March – 30 August	16 days earlier
Savannah	214 km	25 February – 3 September	31 days earlier
Athens (United States)	217 km	17 April – 2 August	20 days later
Asheville	226 km	24 May – 13 July	57 days later

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Columbia

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 March to 9 August (from 7 March to 9 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 6 January to 10 June. Within 15 km of Columbia OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops and 3 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Manchester Farms — farm supply
12 km
Meeting Street Artisan Market — market
3 km
South Carolina State Farmers Market — market
11 km
Gardener's Outpost — garden centre
Woodrow Street 709, 29205 Columbia · Mon–Sun 10:00–18:00 · 2 km · gardenersoutpost.com

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.

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