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 S S  
                  T T  

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

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings

August: Sow in pots

  • 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

01 Jul 16, Mike (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
they are a bush type, they don't need a trellis.
15 Jun 16, Wendy (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes capsicums continue to ripen after being picked. Small fruit and or not ripening use potash liquid once a week. Only water at the base of the plant. It the flowers aren't turning to fruit then plant flowers near to attrack bees eg marigolds, lavender etc
12 Jun 16, angyelile benson mwalongo (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
To join and to know how to grow capsurm and to be helped
08 Jun 16, ray (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Do Capsicum in to be pull out or just cut back
28 May 16, Di (Australia - tropical climate)
I have one capsicum plant (came up from scraps thrown out), but grew beautifully and gave us two lovely sized capsicums. Will it refruit? or is that it's lifespan over?
29 May 16, Kevin OBryan (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello Di, Like chillies, if you cut it back gently it will refruit if you are in a frost free area, But you are far better to plant new seedlings every year in spring. I am still picking lots of capsicums from bushes planted last October but they are now much smaller and take a long time to turn red. I should have pruned the flowers from January on wards . I will pick all the remaining green fruit and pickle them. They grow very easily from seed treat just like you would tomatoes. Happy vegy gardening.
25 May 16, kim (Australia - tropical climate)
hi i am having trouble with my capsicum being eaten by bugs what should i do
08 May 16, Mohd (Australia - temperate climate)
Can I transplant capsicum at this season that is May ?
05 May 16, Helen (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi all. I was given a capsicum plant that had one large fruit. It ripened on the vine and was delicious. Now (6/5/16) the is producing more buds and flowers. Do I encourage the plant to produce more fruit or should I remove the bubs? Grateful for any tips. I am in the Hills district of Sydney nsw. Thanks.
21 Apr 16, Jessica (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I've been growing this capsicum plant for ages and the first season the fruit was big, it grew even bigger then it got way too big for the pot it was in so we carefully transplanted it to a bigger one. Since the massive growth spurt it hasn't put on any big fruit, the biggest was maybe slightly bigger then one of those little bouncy balls. It gets food and stuff but still nothing, i encourage new fruit by constantly harvesting it which usually just gets thrown away as they're far too small to cut up (the entire thing is just seeds inside). Please help I don't know what else to do and I miss the fresh capsicum lol
Showing 121 - 130 of 428 comments

Ive had capsicums and chillies over winter and they usually come good once it warms up. I prune them back and when it gets warmer you should find new leaves starting to emerge. Give it a good feed. The old leaves will eventually drop off. I had a chilli plant live for several years in a pot.

- Corinna Wildenauer

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.