When to plant sweet peppers in New Zealand
Outdoors, sweet peppers go in from around 3 November in Napier to 6 December in Porirua.
- Type
- Tender No frost, likes warmth
- First harvest
- About 130 days from sowing in the UK
- Spacing
- 45 cm between plants
- In pots
- Yes in a big enough pot
- Tender. Sweet pepper goes outdoors only once the last frost has passed and the soil has warmed.
- Start under cover. In a greenhouse or polytunnel it can go in about four weeks earlier than outdoors.
- Two goes in warm places. Where summers are long, there’s a second window later in the year as well as the spring one.
Town by town
24 towns from north to south. Dates move later the further you go from the equator and the higher up. Tap a town for its full calendar.
Sow outdoorsSow under cover (a greenhouse or polytunnel)Months run July to June, so summer reads in one piece.
| TownTown, north to south | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhangareiFrom 15 Nov and 8 FebOutdoors 15 Nov to 26 Dec, and 8 Feb to 31 Mar | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow outdoors and under cover | April: Sow under cover | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| AucklandFrom 16 Nov and 9 FebOutdoors 16 Nov to 27 Dec, and 9 Feb to 23 Mar | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow outdoors and under cover | April: Sow under cover | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| PapatoetoeFrom 14 Nov and 9 FebOutdoors 14 Nov to 24 Dec, and 9 Feb to 24 Mar | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow outdoors and under cover | April: Sow under cover | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| Manukau CityFrom 15 Nov and 8 FebOutdoors 15 Nov to 25 Dec, and 8 Feb to 17 Mar | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow outdoors and under cover | April: Sow under cover | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| PapakuraFrom 13 Nov and 8 FebOutdoors 13 Nov to 23 Dec, and 8 Feb to 19 Mar | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow outdoors and under cover | April: Sow under cover | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| TaurangaFrom 6 Nov and 3 FebOutdoors 6 Nov to 12 Dec, and 3 Feb to 17 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow under cover | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| HamiltonFrom 15 NovOutdoors 15 Nov to 23 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| RotoruaFrom 18 NovOutdoors 18 Nov to 26 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| GisborneFrom 7 Nov and 30 JanOutdoors 7 Nov to 12 Dec, and 30 Jan to 8 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Sow outdoors and under cover | March: Sow under cover | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| New PlymouthFrom 28 NovOutdoors 28 Nov to 19 Jan | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow outdoors and under cover | February: Sow under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| NapierFrom 3 NovOutdoors 3 Nov to 6 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow under cover | January: Not this month | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| HastingsFrom 5 NovOutdoors 5 Nov to 9 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Not this month | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| WhanganuiFrom 18 NovOutdoors 18 Nov to 27 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| Palmerston NorthFrom 22 NovOutdoors 22 Nov to 5 Jan | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| PoriruaFrom 6 DecOutdoors 6 Dec to 6 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow outdoors and under cover | February: Sow under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| Upper HuttFrom 5 DecOutdoors 5 Dec to 6 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow outdoors and under cover | February: Sow under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| Lower HuttFrom 3 DecOutdoors 3 Dec to 6 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow outdoors and under cover | February: Sow under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| NelsonFrom 6 NovOutdoors 6 Nov to 11 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| WellingtonFrom 4 DecOutdoors 4 Dec to 6 Feb | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow outdoors and under cover | February: Sow under cover | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| RichmondFrom 7 NovOutdoors 7 Nov to 13 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| BlenheimFrom 17 NovOutdoors 17 Nov to 31 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| ChristchurchFrom 10 NovOutdoors 10 Nov to 18 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| DunedinFrom 12 NovOutdoors 12 Nov to 28 Dec | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Sow under cover | November: Sow outdoors and under cover | December: Sow outdoors and under cover | January: Sow under cover | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
| InvercargillUnder cover onlyUnder cover only | July: Not this month | August: Not this month | September: Not this month | October: Not this month | November: Sow under cover | December: Sow under cover | January: Not this month | February: Not this month | March: Not this month | April: Not this month | May: Not this month | June: Not this month |
Don’t see your town? Find it by name or postcode.
Sweet peppers in other countries
When to plant other crops in New Zealand
Fruiting
Roots
Leaves
Beans and peas
Onion family
Brassicas
Herbs
Fruit
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Bia turns this calendar into a nudge when it’s time to sow, plant out and harvest, for your plot wherever you are in New Zealand. Free for 2 months.
App StoreComing soonHow these dates are worked out: climate records for each town (ERA5-Land, 1995 to 2024), its frost dates and its height above sea level turn a seed-packet date into a local one. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information; towns from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). How sowing dates work