Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Mar	May	Jun
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

14 Jun 16, Jason (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Might be fruit fly, a friend mentioned he had fruit fly in his chillies, perhaps it happens if the chillies are not very hot. I have fruit fly in my grapefruit every year, but so far they haven't affected the cayenne chillies which are only 5 or 6 metres away.
Reply or Post a new comment
06 Mar 16, Lyndy (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I haven't a glue what grub you got but you could try spraying the bush with a garlic spray seems to keep most insects,and bugs away. ibuy the powdered garlic for supermarket mix a tsp in a spare bottle and go for it. Good luck.
Reply or Post a new comment
08 Jan 17, Ahane (Australia - tropical climate): It's fruit fly. Had the same problem. Pruned bushes lower, removed all affected fruit and covered plants with insect mesh from the nursery. Cheap as and all new fruit is awesome without pesticides. Just remove netting while they're not flowering.
Reply or Post a new comment
20 Feb 16, Dan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): The flowers generally mean chillies come out of them.
Reply or Post a new comment
17 Feb 16, Rocki (Australia - temperate climate): I am growing a Carolina Reaper that is approx one meter high. It is in a 30 litre pot in full sun. There are lots of flowers but no fruit. Is it a case of waiting, or am I doing something wrong. The Cayenne that is growing next to it is going nuts with heaps of chillies.
Reply or Post a new comment
05 Nov 17, Tanya (Australia - temperate climate): We have a chocolate habanero, jellybean habanero and Devils Brew. We did have a Madame Jeanette but lost that during the first hot winds here. They each get fruit at different times. Be patient, you should get chillies soon.
Reply or Post a new comment
16 Feb 16, Mira (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Thanku all-very helpful comments. It looks like the diagram: tiny chillies. What if I plant it into the ground with a shade-cloth roof to protect from frost?
Reply or Post a new comment
15 Feb 16, Sandra Roberts (Australia - temperate climate): I live in Parramatta area and wonder what zone I'm in !! Just seen comment from someone who has Gippsland as temperate ?? Love this site.
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Feb 16, Mira (Australia - temperate climate): I recently purchased a chilly tree, currently about 40cms tall, will it grow if planted into the ground? We live in Central Gippsland. How tall will it grow?
Reply or Post a new comment
06 Feb 16, Bert (Australia - temperate climate): Compare it to its relative, tomato bush. Depends on the type of chilli. You will have lots of fruit probably and my wife reports they seem to even get hotter when left in the freezer.
Reply or Post a new comment

Showing 201 - 210 of 432 comments

See comments for all plants

Replying to:

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

Your name

Where are you?

Email address

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply

Your reply

All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Your comments and tips

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Your comments and tips

Become A Supporter!

Planting Reminders