When to plant bell peppers in Richmond: 30 April – 27 July

In Richmond, bell pepper: sow for seedlings from 8 February to 28 May; plant into a greenhouse from 9 April to 27 July; plant out into open ground from 30 April to 27 July.

Bell Pepper in Richmond: soil, season and weather

In Richmond the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 26 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the bell pepper card — only around 30 April, 35 days later.

Last spring frost	26 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	30 April, 35 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	9 April – 27 July; April outside: 9.7 °C at night, 21.5 °C by day; card 15–30 °C
First autumn frost	16 November, 200 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	9 July – 5 October
Days left for picking	130
Daylight	11:21 on 1 March, 13:42 on 30 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 4 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Bell Pepper in Richmond: care after planting

Planted on 30 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

30 April — feed: balanced (NPK)
28 May — 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 Richmond during the bell pepper season

Days average above the bell pepper card's 15–30 °C in July (32.6 °C) and August (30.5 °C). Nights average below 15 °C in April, May and October, November (5.7–14.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	21.5	9.7	86	9	13:09
May	25.1	14.7	115	12	14:11
June	29.9	19.1	96	10	14:44
July	32.6	22.2	108	13	14:31
August	30.5	21	105	12	13:38
September	27.5	18.1	104	9	12:28
October	21.7	12.2	87	7	11:16
November	15.5	5.7	68	8	10:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Bell Pepper in nearby cities

Around Richmond, Raleigh is 12 days earlier and Hagerstown 23 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Washington, D.C.	156 km	4 May – 27 July	4 days later
Annapolis	179 km	8 May – 30 July	8 days later
Baltimore	207 km	5 May – 2 August	5 days later
Raleigh	224 km	18 April – 30 July	12 days earlier
Hagerstown	231 km	23 May – 22 July	23 days later
Dover	246 km	11 May – 6 August	11 days later

Where to buy bell pepper plants and seeds near Richmond

Buy plants ready to set out from 30 April to 27 July (from 9 April to 27 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 February to 28 May. Within 15 km of Richmond OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 5 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Dorey Farmer's Market — market
Darbytown Road 2999, 23231 Henrico · Jun–Oct: Sat 09:00–12:00 · 14 km · doreyparkfarmersmarket.org
Birdhouse Farmers Market — market
Grayland Avenue 1507, 23220 Richmond · Tue 15:00–18:30 · 1 km · birdhousefarmersmarket.org
Richmond Makers Market — market
West 6th Street 212, 23224 Richmond · Sat 12:00–18:00 · 3 km · rvamakersmarket.us
Chesterfield Farmers Market — market
Midlothian Turnpike 11500, 23235 Richmond · May–Oct: Tue 10:00–18:00; Wed 10:00–18:00; Thu 10:00–18:00; Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat 08:00–16:00 · 14 km · chesterfieldfarmersmarket.blogspot.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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