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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30 Apr 19, Aaron Love (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I have a Chilli Peter bush that I have had a lot of peppers off, can I keep it growing for another season? Thanks Aaron
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11 Aug 19, Peter (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I have a chocolate Habanero plant which I brought inside to over winter and I'm amazed to say it actually flowered and I see it has fruit developing now (mid August). These chilli plants need a long growing season and I'm optimistic that I'll get masses of fruit from this plant in the coming months for my hot sauce recipes. Did you manage to over winter your chilli plant Aaron?
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30 Apr 19, Peter (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
In Gauteng, what veggies and herbs can i plant from May month?
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04 Apr 19, jim (USA - Zone 10b climate)
how long does it take for chilli seeds to start to show in a seed tray. I've put mine in almost two weeks ago and no sign of them yet.
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06 May 21, Bob (USA - Zone 10b climate)
I'm in Ft. Lauderdale Florida (10B). I have the same issue. I've got a plethora of differing varietals that I germinated outdoors in Solo cups beginning in March. Some plants are 6"-8" tall while others are just starting to sprout. My Thai Chili Peppers are growing exceptionally well while the bell peppers are taking there "sweet" time getting here. The struggle is real.
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15 Apr 19, Sylvia (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Do you use a plant heat mat. It can be bought online or may be found at garden centers like Lowes or Home Depot. Peppers like heat for good propagation
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30 Mar 19, Paul Masters (New Zealand - temperate climate)
do chillies continue to ripen once they have been picked? Cheers Paul
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31 Mar 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Yes, they will ripen slowly in the same way that capsicums do. Probably need to be starting to change colour.
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20 Mar 19, amelia hall (Australia - tropical climate)
how many types of chilli peppers are there in the world?
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23 Mar 19, Sue (Australia - temperate climate)
Wikipedia estimates 50,000 varieties of
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Showing 81 - 90 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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