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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17 Dec 11, Tania (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I planted some chilli's from packet seed directly into the tub where they would grow. They only grew about 2 cm high and then nothing. Anyone know what the problem was/is? I am not a gardener and often grow things by mistake.
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17 Jul 11, Barb (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best way of preparing the seeds from last years chilli crop before planting them this year. Do you need to soak them before planting?
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04 Feb 12, James (Australia - temperate climate)
Like pumpkins and tomatoes you need to ferment the seed at room temperature until mold forms then wash and dry, this removes a layer on the seed which can prevent it from germinating next season. Alternatively you can rub it off with your fingers but might be hard with the seed size, or you can dry flesh with the seed and it will ferment next season you plant it but germination may take longer. Hope this helps.
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09 Jul 11, Stephen (Australia - temperate climate)
My chilli plants got frosted in the last few days, is it worth pruning them back a little and cover them or do I just start again in spring with new plants? Now, what to do with 2.5kg of chillies???
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01 Aug 11, Chrys (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Stephen New to the gardening world - but I pickled my excess chillies this year and they worked out great! Pickle in Vinegar and pickling spice and Store for a min of a month. That way you have chillies you can use all year round. Chrys
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06 Jul 11, Confused little chilli plant (Australia - temperate climate)
I've bought my potted chilli plant inside over winter so that it doesn't bite the dust like my previous bush did last winter. So it's staying nice and warm and is catching a lot of north sun on my windowsill but I just noticed that it is starting to bloom flowers already!! I think it's confused about the season it's in. Anyhow, will it still be ok to produce flowers/fruit in spring/summer if it's already started flowering now? Should I prune off the flowers or leave them to die off as they won't see any action from bees...
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08 Jul 11, Liz (Australia - arid climate)
lol. I'd leave the flowers on. You don't need bees for them to pollinate, just walk over and give the stems a little shake, they're self pollinating :)
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31 Jul 11, Bek (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Liz! I didn't realize they self-pollinate, I've noticed that they are starting to produce baby chillis now which I'm really excited about for this time of year! Looks like it's not so confused about after all...
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11 Dec 10, Robert Godson (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Are Chilli Plants a defence mechanise against anything; do they assist other plants by keeping away bugs or other infestations
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20 Sep 11, Ines (Australia - tropical climate)
are there any plants that can protect my chilli from being eaten by little bugs and birds?
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Showing 331 - 340 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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