Yes — Strong Match
serrano pepper is grown in zones 3-11, which covers every zone Delaware contains (7a-8a). Whether the season is long enough is the question that remains.
Serrano Pepper in Delaware — the short answer
Serrano Pepper in Delaware: grown in zones 3–11, full sun, against a state median of ~241 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- Grown as an annual — see the growing season
- Growing season, not a hardiness zone
- Delaware zones
- 7a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 23 - Mar 23 – Nov 17 - Nov 19
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 238 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 85 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Delaware spans zones 7a-8a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score serrano pepper against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Where in Delaware Fits Best
Even within Delaware's zones 7a-8a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for serrano pepper (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Serrano Pepper Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-11
- Frost-Free Days: 60+
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 2.5 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: LowWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Delaware Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 23 - Mar 23
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 17 - Nov 19
- Annual Rainfall: 42-48 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Silt loam, Tidal marsh
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-11)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Serrano Pepper in Delaware
The frost window
Across Delaware, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 23 and Mar 23, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 17 and Nov 19 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 239-day window you can count on — up to 241 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when serrano pepper goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Delaware's late-side last freeze of Mar 23 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 85 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 154 days to spare even in Delaware's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
Serrano Pepper is grown in zones 3–11, which covers every zone Delaware contains (7a-8a). We have no sourced winter-survival figure for serrano pepper, so this page does not say whether it overwinters here. Delaware's typical season runs ~241 frost-free days against the ~60 serrano pepper needs.
Frost-free days
Serrano Pepper wants 60+ frost-free days; a typical Delaware site sees ~241 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Serrano Pepper needs ~2200 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~3732 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Delaware's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Serrano Pepper likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-7). That's the common-ground band across Delaware's sandy loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6.8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Delaware soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Delaware site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Delaware soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant serrano pepper for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before serrano pepper goes in. What follows is Delaware’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Delaware — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Delaware — 3,371 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 64 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Delaware carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Delaware
Severity Distribution
across Delaware
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •Near a brownfield, a raised bed of imported, lab-tested soil lowers contact with the ground; it does not remove it.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Serrano Pepper in Delaware
The zone range tells you where serrano pepper is grown — but Delaware growers also need to think about:
Sandy soils in southern DE drain too quickly
Salt spray damage near the coast
Rising water tables in low-lying areas
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Delaware grower, not just serrano pepper — is covered on the Delaware growing guide.
Timing shifts within Delaware
Serrano Pepper needs about 60 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Sussex County — Delaware’s shortest season at 238 frost-free days — clears that by 178 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Delaware. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Serrano Pepper's 60-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Serrano Pepper draws honeybees and native bees (low value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, serrano pepper can only work that bloom inside Delaware's frost window — roughly 241 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 23 - Mar 23) and closing at the first (Nov 17 - Nov 19), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Delaware Cooperative Extension
For Delaware-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for serrano pepper, the canonical source is University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Serrano Pepper in Delaware
When can I plant Serrano Pepper in Delaware?
Delaware's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 23 and Mar 23, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 17 and Nov 19 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
Can Serrano Pepper mature before first frost in Delaware?
Yes — Serrano Pepper matures in 85 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and Delaware's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 239 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 154 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Serrano Pepper grown in across Delaware?
Delaware spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Serrano Pepper carries a range of zones 3-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Delaware site have?
A typical Delaware site sees ~241 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Serrano Pepper needs 60+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Serrano Pepper in Delaware?
Serrano Pepper prefers pH 4.5-7 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across Delaware soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Serrano Pepper actually grow on my specific land in Delaware?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores serrano pepper against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Delaware
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores serrano pepper against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Delaware serrano pepper averages can't show:
We read public map data around Delaware — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Delaware serrano pepper average
Explore More
Growing guides for serrano pepper
Where else serrano pepper grows
Serrano Pepper's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Delaware in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Delaware
Delaware has a growing page for 1,005 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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