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When to plant bell peppers in Palmerston North: 4 December – 29 February

In Palmerston North, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 14 September to 31 December; plant into a greenhouse from 13 November to 29 February; plant out into open ground from 4 December to 29 February. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Innerwell Nursery (garden centre, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Bell Pepper in Palmerston North: soil, season and weather

In Palmerston North the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 11 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 4 December, 115 days later.

Last spring frost11 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C4 December, 115 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse13 November – 29 February; November outside: 11.4 °C at night, 19.4 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost20 June, 199 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)70
First harvest, if planted in this window12 February – 9 May
Days left for picking129
Daylight12:40 on 5 October, 14:53 on 4 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)every 4 days; the driest month, January, has 10 rainy days

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

Bell Pepper in Palmerston North: care after planting

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

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

  • 4 December — feed: balanced (NPK)
  • 1 January — 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 Palmerston North during the bell pepper season

No month of the season averages above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C by day; the warmest, February, averages 23.3 °C. Months that stay below 15 °C even by day on average: June (14 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in every month of the season, from 7.2 °C to 14.4 °C.

MonthDay, °CNight, °CRain, mmRainy daysDaylight on the 15th
December21.413.31241415:02
January22.914.4801014:44
February23.314.280813:38
March21.112.6811012:24
April18.710.7961111:02
May16.28.8105139:55
June147.289129:18

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Palmerston North, Napier is 31 days earlier and Nelson 16 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Wellington125 kmfrom 17 December13 days later
Napier147 kmfrom 3 November31 days earlier
Blenheim189 km11 December – 8 February7 days later
Nelson221 km20 December – 29 February16 days later
Rotorua253 km10 December – 3 February6 days later
Gisborne280 kmfrom 7 November27 days earlier

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Palmerston North

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 December to 29 February (from 13 November to 29 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 14 September to 31 December. Within 15 km of Palmerston North OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery and 1 market (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 Palmerston North?

In Palmerston North, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 14 September to 31 December; plant into a greenhouse from 13 November to 29 February; plant out into open ground from 4 December to 29 February.

When to sow bell peppers for seedlings in Palmerston North?

Sow for seedlings from 14 September to 31 December.

When is the last spring frost in Palmerston North?

Last spring frost around 11 August, first autumn frost around 21 June.

Other crops in Palmerston North, with their dates