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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25 Mar 13, Pat Martin (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I have just ordered from Livingseeds, they're local and have a large stock of various chilli seeds, Including Bhut, Trinidad scorpion and 7 pot. www.livingseeds.co.za Hope this helps
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03 Mar 13, Ryan (Australia - tropical climate)
I'm growing Trinidad scorpion Butch T and Moruga. seeing they are the worlds record holder for hottest Chillies Well why not give them ago. My first crop have now got fruit and I have a few friends who love hot food so when they found out I had some of the worlds hottest chillies they could not wait to try them. I warned them that they were hotter then anything they have ever tried in their life but this did not stop one mate who thought how bad could it be I said if you are going to eat one you have to eat and swollow the whole thing not just nibble on it. So he popped it in his mouth and begain to chew he wanted to show how tough he was so he kept chewing I could see the pain in his eyes he then tried to swollow it but choked on the hottness he tried milk and icecream but it was just to hot and ended having to go to hospital for a check up. no real harm done but for a good 45 minutes he wished he was dead. I've scraped the seeds out of one and eatten it and I love hot food but I was in so so much pain. In north QLD chillies grow all year round except when it floods and your chillies are a few feet under water that seems to kill them off.
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10 Feb 13, (Australia - temperate climate)
Do chillies need ferterliser
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27 Jan 13, Willie (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in the Barossa Valley, i have planted Chilli's, the plant looks really healthy however the fruit starts green then red then falls of. the fruits also look dry/brown on the bottom half , help
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10 Mar 13, Dana Teahan (Australia - temperate climate)
Are in direct sun? According to Gardening Australia the sun in S.A. Is too fierce and they need to be in shade/under a tree.
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07 Jan 13, nkosinathi (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
question can I plant chilli pepper from now January? or can I plant chilli pepper twice a year?
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19 Nov 12, thendo (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
what is the right season to plant chillies, what type of soil its best for it to be fruitful
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03 Nov 12, (Australia - temperate climate)
Pick your chillies and put them in a lunch bag in the freezer. You will be amazed at how hot they become when you thaw them and want to use them
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17 Sep 12, Doug Henderson (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm in South east Queensland,Australia I read that Sept is the best time to plant the seeds daytime temp av 24, nighttime temp is about 14 Is it ok to leave the seeds out in damp soil in small pot over night ? and how often do you water them. ? how big should they be to re-pot them ? Thanks Doug.
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19 Sep 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It's no problem leaving damp seedlings out overnight at those temps - I water in the morning just to be sure. Water daily, though if you miss one here and there it's ok. Once you've got seedlings big enough to handle should be fine to plant - roughly 2 inch tall.
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Showing 301 - 310 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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