Greenly Garden

When to plant bell peppers in Knoxville: 4 May – 23 July

In Knoxville, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 12 February to 24 May; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 23 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 23 July.

Bell Pepper in Knoxville: soil, season and weather

In Knoxville the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 29 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 4 May, 36 days later.

Last spring frost29 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C4 May, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse13 April – 23 July; April outside: 9 °C at night, 20.8 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost12 November, 192 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)70
First harvest, if planted in this window13 July – 1 October
Days left for picking122
Daylight11:32 on 5 March, 13:44 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)every 4 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Bell Pepper in Knoxville: care after planting

Planted on 4 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

  • 4 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
  • 1 June — 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 Knoxville during the bell pepper season

Days average above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C in July (31.6 °C) and August (30.2 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in May (14.5 °C), October (11.3 °C) and November (5.1 °C).

MonthDay, °CNight, °CRain, mmRainy daysDaylight on the 15th
May25.314.51151314:03
June29.618.6821214:35
July31.621.3871414:23
August30.220.11111413:33
September28.317.585912:27
October22.711.387711:19
November15.75.177810:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Knoxville, Atlanta is 21 days earlier and Asheville 20 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Asheville130 km24 May – 13 July20 days later
Chattanooga156 km27 April – 23 July7 days earlier
Greenville184 km23 April – 2 August11 days earlier
Athens (United States)229 km17 April – 2 August17 days earlier
Lexington231 km15 May – 18 July11 days later
Atlanta249 km13 April – 2 August21 days earlier

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Knoxville

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 May to 23 July (from 13 April to 23 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 February to 24 May. Within 15 km of Knoxville OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 5 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

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

When to plant bell peppers in Knoxville?

In Knoxville, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 12 February to 24 May; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 23 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 23 July.

When to sow bell peppers for seedlings in Knoxville?

Sow for seedlings from 12 February to 24 May.

When is the last spring frost in Knoxville?

Last spring frost around 29 March, first autumn frost around 12 November.

Other crops in Knoxville, with their dates