When to plant bell peppers in Lexington: 15 May – 18 July

In Lexington, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 23 February to 19 May; plant into a greenhouse from 24 April to 18 July; plant out into open ground from 15 May to 18 July.

Bell Pepper in Lexington: soil, season and weather

In Lexington the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 15 May, 35 days later.

Last spring frost	10 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	15 May, 35 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	24 April – 18 July; April outside: 7.6 °C at night, 18.6 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost	7 November, 176 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	24 July – 26 September
Days left for picking	106
Daylight	11:57 on 16 March, 14:13 on 15 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 4 days; the driest month, October, has 9 rainy days

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

Bell Pepper in Lexington: care after planting

Planted on 15 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

15 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
12 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 Lexington during the bell pepper season

Days average above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C in July (30.1 °C). Months that stay below 15 °C even by day on average: November (13 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in May (13.4 °C), October (10.4 °C) and November (3.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	23.5	13.4	129	15	14:13
June	28.5	17.8	123	13	14:47
July	30.1	20.3	133	14	14:34
August	29.1	19.2	99	12	13:40
September	26.6	16.4	91	8	12:28
October	20.6	10.4	88	9	11:16
November	13	3.6	92	9	10:09

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Lexington, Bowling Green is 11 days earlier and Dayton 1 day later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Frankfort	41 km	13 May – 14 July	2 days earlier
Louisville	116 km	7 May – 22 July	8 days earlier
Cincinnati	127 km	13 May – 20 July	2 days earlier
Dayton	198 km	16 May – 20 July	1 day later
Bowling Green	206 km	4 May – 21 July	11 days earlier
Knoxville	231 km	4 May – 23 July	11 days earlier

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Lexington

Buy plants ready to set out from 15 May to 18 July (from 24 April to 18 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 23 February to 19 May. Within 15 km of Lexington OpenStreetMap lists 1 plant nursery and 4 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Selby's International Food Market — market
6 km
Downtown Farmer's Market — market
7 km
Stuarto's Olive Oil Co — market
Euclid Avenue 804, Lexington · 5 km
Goodwill — market
East Brannon Road · 6 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