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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18 Aug 15, JN (Australia - temperate climate)
My hot chilli plant is suddenly drying up. I've been watering it twice a week and feeding it Seasol liquid fertilizer. It was doing great till about two weeks ago. I even bring it in at night to keep it away from the cold and during the day it sits under a skylight. What can I do to keep it alive?
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18 Jan 16, tastyvish (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Chill does not like over watering.If the leaves are showing"yellowing' this is definite sign of water excess . Cut down the water and give good drink only ,when the leaves show bit sign of drooping. Dont worry the plant will recover well.
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02 Jan 16, tastyvish (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Over watering is no good for chlli plant.The thumb rule of watering need of the plant is when the leaves little bit droops. I would suggest cut down the watering and check the drainage is good.If the leaves are yellowing in nature i presume the over watering could be the reason. Don't worry about even sea soling..Godd luck
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21 Aug 15, Geoff True (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi JN Currently growing 8 plants from seedlings and treat mine like you do. Mine are in 6 inch pots and I only spray water (not water can) about every 3rd day and fertilise only about every two to three weeks with fish emulsion. Soil needs to be damp not wet and I'll transplant best 3 next month.
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17 Jul 15, Kabo Maswabi (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Where can i get safe, treated chillies seeds which will be able to thrive in the hot arid conditions
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10 Aug 15, Pam (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Try the online shops: Organic Seeds and Living Seeds
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04 Jul 15, Mahesh Bhai (Australia - temperate climate)
It is the month of july and cold so can we plant chillie plants from the seeds after germination. It us winter in Sydney Australia.
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17 Jul 15, Prometheus (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I would say this really depends on how much frost, if any, you expect before Spring sets in. Generally it's safest to wait until Spring (when soil temperatures are consistently 18 degrees + ), especially with the cold winter we've had across Eastern Australia this year. But Sydney is still classed as a subtropical climate, so provided you have a sheltered area with some kind of wind / frost protection (i.e. not far from a fence) I'd say go for it. If they're starting to look damaged you can always place a plastic bag or mini-greenhouse over the seedlings until the weather warms. Happy gardening and hope you get some prolific chilli plants this year!
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21 Jan 15, Daniel (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I love growing chillies, particularly habaneros and piquins. I have some plants which I bought from a nursery and stand at heights ranging from 50cm-110cm tall, and others which I have grown from seed. It is currently mid summer in Sydney, Australia, and I was wondering if I need to move my chillies when it becomes colder. Do I have to prune the plants, and when do I have to prune them?-Daniel
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20 Dec 14, Sharon (Australia - temperate climate)
I have bought birds eye saplings and potted them in September. It is now end of December but there have only been a few additional leaves and seems to be stunted in height due to the cold weather in Melbourne. What can I do to help them as the temperature does not seem to get any higher than 25C? Melbourne will have the next 2 months warm, but will drop down below 25C once again in March, and I am afraid my saplings may not have a chance to thrive.
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Showing 231 - 240 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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