Growing Capsicum, also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers

Capsicum annuum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      S S              
        T T T          

(Best months for growing Capsicum in Australia - tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • 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 18°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 50 cm apart
  • Harvest in 10-12 weeks. Cut fruit off with sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Egg plant (Aubergine), Nasturtiums, Basil, Parsley, Amaranth

Your comments and tips

16 Sep 12, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have had a capsicum plant growing for >12months, regularly flowering and producing fruit (not heaps at the same time, but constantly has one or two on the go).
12 Jun 12, Raymond Rodrigues (Australia - temperate climate)
If i cut a capsicum and grow the seeds will it grow
20 Jun 12, James (Australia - temperate climate)
Signs point to yes. Although hybrids may not produce well when seed is saved, the capsicum in the shops is most likely a hybrid. Genetically modified seeds won't sprout, but I doubt they will be GM. I would buy my own seeds.
17 Apr 12, Ray (Australia - temperate climate)
I have one capsicum bush in a small planter box it grew with about 8 small fruits (green) and not real large before they look as if they were starting to burn. After picking the fruit I wish to know will more fruit bloom from the one plant. Ray in suburban WA.
01 Sep 12, Dean (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Ray, Read comments from the 28th from Kay, sound like the same problem. Will change colour the longer you leave them on the plant. I find the red ones a little bit sweeter. I am no expert but i have found capsicum one of the most easy vegetables to grow. Plant will not reproduce more capsicums.
19 Mar 12, rae (Australia - temperate climate)
my capsicums are bitter raw and cooked any one know why
09 Mar 12, Llane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have some capsicum plants and one of them has 2 fruits already and growing well. This morning I discovered that the new fruit fall down on the ground and then I check the big one but it is detached from the plant. Why this happened? We live in Capalaba,Brisbane... any help, thank you.
07 Mar 12, simone (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in the northern suburb of perth wa and i am growing 3 capsicum plants in an old water tank. I purchased proper vegetable soil and fertilise weekly with seasol and npk every 2 weeks and water nearly every day, due to the hot weather we have at the moment. I have lots of healthy fruit, but have noticed that the leaves on one of the plants have turned yellow, what could be making them turn yellow?
09 Mar 20, Alan (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi Simone, the yellowing of leaves generally indicate that the plant is not getting enough oxygen, perhaps due to too much water. I find that with my rose plants. I shall assume that this maybe the same in your case. Please ask anybody else if my theory is correct. Good luck.
27 Aug 12, Barry (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, If you live in Perth and are using tap water then the water is way way to alkaline. Some times in Perth the water reads PH 8.00 and above. When the water is that high they will not up take nutrients. I would suggest getting a container and adjusting the ph. before watering the plants. Regards, Barry.
Showing 281 - 290 of 430 comments

Hi Jen, This is a bit late because you are maybe 2 months into your work but I planted a similar garden in raised beds at the start of Sep/16, my first time with most of these plants. Put the strawberries in their own patch because they have different requirements to everything else and will try to invade the surroundings via their runners (stolons). Try to keep stolon production to a minimum unless you want baby plants, in which case let the runners root in separate peat cups and then cut+transplant when they look big and healthy, but not too big because they will punch through the peat and start rooting in the bed where they sit (you can use plastic instead of peat, but the peat ones go straight into the ground when you transplant). I had mediocre fruit production when the strawbs were planted last year but mega crops this year (27 plants). Don't keep them too wet, be on regular lookout for slugs, tear away old leaves which promote rotting and fruit turning, fortnightly seaweed with a splash of fertiliser for the leaves. Rosemary becomes a full-grown bush - put it where you would want a hedge and cut it back twice a year, esp after flowering, to encourage a nice full shape (it will shoot rather vertically otherwise). Rosemary doesn't need much water or fertiliser, I use some slow-release and let rain do the rest except for prolonged dry spells. Zuccs and cukes get quite large, so make sure you allow at least a foot between plants because they come on really quickly from seedling. I got fruit in about 2 months and they are still going now, don't let the fruit sit too long or they can get quite huge quite quickly, tending towards being woody. Zuccs I find can start to yellow when the flower falls off, so keep an eye on that. Also give the cukes some support to climb, otherwise they will just spread like a kind of moppy mess over the garden bed. Basil I did from seeds, they are annuals so just get a packet and put some down about a foot in front of your tomatoes, they do well as companions. The basil can get to about 1-2 feet high if really happy. Capsicums I managed 6 in two rows of 1.2 m, they are quite slender plants and don't need heaps of space like tomatoes or zuccs. These are nearby the tomatoes as they have similar requirements. I also chucked in two chilis that look very happy, consider this as you get capsicum + basil + chili + tomato in one go = a meal waiting. Lastly toms - IMO the most difficult to keep happy. They need more water and fertiliser than the other guys and get wilty more quickly in hot weather. My main tips in my second year with cherry toms is to limit the number of branches you allow, because they will get tall and thick really quickly. I planted mine 1 ft apart but they are a little too close, I'd try 2 ft next time around. You need staking or cages obviously, but in 3 months my toms have gone from 20 cm to about 4 ft, so be prepared for them to outstrip your initial heigh expectations if they are happy. If they are intermediates, they will try to off-shoot at every junction (you can see the baby shoots at the V-intersection between two existing main shoots), so pluck those away everywhere except at the top. You'll also want to thin the tom leaves out because they will get thick and happy and green, but at the expense of fruit. Also remove the lower tom leaves as they can get a bit soggy and disease prone. Buy yourself some garden twine because you'll be at it every week or two to keep the toms supported. I find the toms are quite temperamental, they are prone to yellowing and disease. Keep an eye out for caterpillars, around spring they can come without warning and start putting holes all through your leaves and fruit. I was out daily for about a week in October crushing hundreds of tiny little green caterpillars before they could decimate the plants. Also after excessive water some toms can split, so take those off the vine and refrigerate - eat quickly before they spoil. Any green toms that fall off you can put them next to bananas in the fruit bowl and they'll ripen up nicely. I find my collected unsplit toms last 1-2 weeks in the fruit bowl. Taste is beyond anything in the supermarket! That's my experience, hope it helps. Oh last thing - use good soil to start up, I was filling raised beds so I bought new soil. Next year I will rake in my first year of compost when re-doing the used beds. If you have good soil and it drains, you don't need to do anything else like sand. I used raised beds because I am sitting on clay-type soils with lots of shale under the surface = no good for veggies.

- Tom

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply


All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate App

Put Gardenate in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use Gardenate and subscribe to the free Gardenate planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About Gardenate | Contact us | Privacy Policy

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.