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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27 Dec 09, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Hey SP, chillies take a little longer to germinate than most vegies, some i have planted have taken 3-4 weeks!. Hang in there and keep it moist, they will germinate when they are ready,
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20 Dec 09, Jason (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hey Simon, the chilli you have is a Rocoto (red)
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06 Dec 09, Simon (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I was given a chilli that is red, round, about 15cm in circumfrence and about 7-8 cm long (Looks like a small capsicum), fleshy. It has black seeds, rates an 8 on heat metre (Tried a bit for lunch and it is nicely fairly hot). I was told I could grow from seeds, grows about 8 feet high, has purple flowers and if I get it through the first winter it will keeo producing as it is apparently a cool/cold climate variety. I was told it was from the Andes. What variety is this, he didn't actually tell me and I probably won't be back at those markets to ask.
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08 Dec 17, Alice (Australia - temperate climate)
The variety is a Rocoto chilli under cap. Pubescens. They have black seeds and can survive cold weather. This is actual chilli tree thus can last many years
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05 Nov 09, SP (Australia - temperate climate)
Could someone help me with this? I sow seeds of thin hot chillies 2 weeks ago in seed raising containers. they haven't sprouted yet. The same with bitter melon. I have them moist so they sprout soon. I also did soak them in the water before sowing them. I am happy to wait but i am not really sure whether it takes this long. Many thanks
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10 Dec 17, Hamsa (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live in the cool mountains but I manage to grow chillies and bitter melon. It is best to start the seeds in a green house, if you don’t have one, cover the pots with plastic sheets but remember to water them everyday and when the plants are about 5 - 10 cm, you can remove the plastic sheet Soak chicken manure in water and water the plants for abundance of vegetables
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08 Dec 17, Alice (Australia - temperate climate)
SP- chilli seeds are best propagated on a heat mat. Good seeds generally germinate within 10 days on heat mat. Keep it just moist but not wet as this may rot the seed bf germination start.
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05 Oct 09, Chris (Australia - tropical climate)
Have grown Naga Morish in Darwin - hot aint the word. Bush approx 2 metres high - full sun and laden. Believe this chili goes under various titles - but one to be treated with respect. Also grown a round (ball shaped) chili was told was a thing called a 'Sweetheart' - not as hot as above - but gives a very pleasant flavor in salads.
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28 Sep 09, Sally (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I have just bought a Capsicum annuum or Thai Chilli Salsa plant and was told it was edible, I cant find anything on the label to say it is. Can some one please tell me before I use them. Thanks
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14 Sep 09, albert (Australia - tropical climate)
Is there any reason why some chili plants bear fruit despite its small stature while other larger plants bear no fruit. New to this pardon my ignorance. thanks albert
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Showing 361 - 370 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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