Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
    S                  
        T T            
        P P            

(Best months for growing Chilli peppers in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 64°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 16 - 20 inches apart
  • Harvest in 9-11 weeks. Wear gloves to pick 'hot' chillies.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Best grown in a separate bed as chillies need plenty of light and air circulation.

Your comments and tips

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11 Mar 18, Campbell (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hello. What happens if I leave ripe chilies on the plant. Is there a risk they will start to rot? I have a few that seem to be starting to soften in places and splitting ?
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22 Apr 18, Brooke (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Yes they will rot best to pick when ripe and freeze
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02 Mar 18, Daniel (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have a medium size Chilli plant that has been in the ground now for the summer period but it hasn't produced a single fruit. It is only starting to flower. I have never tried growing Chilli before so I have a few questions 1. When/what month should I expect some chilli's?(Summers finished here) 2. Are the flowers the base of the chilli's pod? 3.What can I use use to stop moths/bugs eating the leaves? TIA
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05 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Read the notes here. Plant during the summer. Has a long growing season. Take 9-11 weeks to produce fruit. Needs warm and airy space. 1. Flowers will produce chilli I presume. 2. Yes the chilli should come from the flower pod. 3. Look up a spray on the internet for spraying chilli. Or put bird netting over it.
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27 Feb 18, Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm not sure the best section to post regarding bitter melon, so have ended up here. Can someone possibly explain what would cause a bitter melon to get a horseshoe shape, in fact one is almost full circle. Stress?
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01 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You may be right - water or nutrient stress. Cucumbers can do this sometimes.
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04 Mar 18, Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
For a while I thought it was poor pollination but I've been noticing the tiny bitter melon behind the opening female flower is already horseshoe shaped on many occasions, and only on plants in one part of the garden near grapevines while further away they are unaffected. They all get the same water and fertiliser treatment. Perhaps the grapes are stealing a lot of the nutrients. I'll take a chance and increase the fertiliser routine for those two closest to the vines and see what results. I have seen some badly shaped cucumbers and that has generally been caused by poor pollination.
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13 Feb 18, Len (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi all...i'd like some advice on chilles..i have two or three plants in that produce pretty well,not sure of the name,there pretty good and hot lol however i seem to be growing the small ones,then i go to the super market and they have quite large ones that look pretty good and juicy so they must have a name as i'd like to grow some of them large ones...i live the other side of Mildura in the North West of Victoria near the N.S.W border. whatcha reckon? cheers Len.
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13 Feb 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Len - I have never grown chilies but here is my two bobs worth. I have read the smaller the chilli the hotter it is. If you want to know what kind of chilies you have or the supermarket have, then go to a few seed selling companies websites and check out the different varieties. Try Seed collection - Boondie Seeds - New Life seeds. Plenty of photos there to check.
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22 Apr 18, Alex (Australia - temperate climate)
The big ones in the supermarket are possibly jalapenos which are relatively mild. We have just grown Anaheim for the first time this year & they are very large & mild. Might be worth giving them a go (our plant was in a mixed pack from United Nurseries).
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Showing 121 - 130 of 432 comments
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Tammi - could be mice or rats, they can do this also. Its happened to me in Perth. Megan - Chillies will only grow vigourously during the warmer months, depending on where you are, they will either slow down, go dormant, or die altogether, depening on how cold it gets, a severe frowst will kill them. Wait until summer, they will flower all over, and give you lots of fruit. If you want a hotter chilli, water them less, let them dry out a little (but not all the way). A stressed plant will give hotter fruit. If you want hotter fruit still, get a different variety. Look for a chinense variety. Gareth - Most people raise chillies in punnets/starter pots, then into medium pots (10-15 cm across at the top), then onto final larger pots or garden beds when they have outgrown the medium one. You can tell when they are ready to be moved as they will have roots coming out the bottom. Julie - feed them with tomato food, probably in liquid form, is pretty good for flowering chillies, also, mulch and compost the soil if you can. Murray - depending on the variety, chillies can take up to 6 weeks to germinate, and they also need warm humid conditions to do so. Chillies are originally grown in warmer humid places, so they better you can recreate this, the happier they are. Keep them moist, (but not wet or soggy), perhaps put half a coke bottle over them to keep the humidity up, put them somewhere warm, they dont need sunlight to germinate, so the top of the fridge will do. When they do germinate, move them to a sunny windowsill or similar until they are ready to be hardened off to go outside. Michael - an NPK ratio of 10-5-10 for when they are growing works well, then 5-10-10 for flowering, if using bought fertilizers. Otherwise, a well composted mix of garden waste should work well, with some animal manure thrown in. Dont forget to mulch the soil to stop evaporation.

- Simon

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