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

27 Sep 10, kumar jani (Australia - arid climate)
it should be 400 to 450mm
20 Sep 10, Celia Hale (Australia - temperate climate)
I would like to grow capsicum in a green house, can someone tell me the size of the planter bag I will need to use and the space between each plant
08 Oct 10, Tassy Michele (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hiya Celia, Follow the "Vegetables & Herbs" planting guide --- Wikipedia can also be a useful and informative guide. Cheers
06 Jul 10, Slatter (Australia - temperate climate)
Help we have been invaded and over run by slaters. How do you irradicate slaters(the ball insect).Not just in veggie patch but all around the home. Have a dog and 5 children under 10, so needs to be a natural source. Have a 10mx10m vegie patch with a 3 stage compost(uncovered). Have tried some natural sprays, but not much luck. With seedling i even put pvc pipe around them, it helps but they still manage to cause damage. Any ideas would be Greatly appreciated.
22 Jan 11, Kate (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Are you sure they are not earwigs? Whatever they are, your garden is out of balance and just killing them won't fix the underlying problem. You need to plant some native things to attract insect eating birds. I surround my veg garden with a wide variety of native plants and let nature take care of it. It works!
02 Nov 10, Ruth (Australia - temperate climate)
Set the Children a competition to see who can collect most Slaters, ( we also called them "Cheesy-bubs" when we lived in UK)
18 Oct 10, boddo (Australia - temperate climate)
i set traps in the vege garden like a newspaper and they all scater under it then i massicar them bit cruel but im sure your kids will love doing it i found they were a problem when i didnt have much plants in the garden and there were no food for them to eat hope this works
12 Jul 10, suga (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
O.k this will sound weird but orgainic farming stats say it works! Collect the caterpillars.... on the full moon burn them and then spread their dead bodies around your problem area... the smell of their dessicrated race will deter them..... cruel yes sorta,but pesticides are worse...
31 Jan 13, Trish (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
My banana capsicum plant is smoothered in fruit but the plant isself looks like its dying. I know its been really hot but we water well every night. The plant looks like its dead when we get home and really only perks up a little by morning. The fruit is still ripening and growing, its just the plant itself. Should we start removing some of the fruit?
31 Jan 13, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Trish, It might help if you have some mulch around your plants to stop them drying out during the day. Water well then use something like newspaper and wood chips to cover the ground round each plant. You will still need to water regularly.
Showing 341 - 350 of 428 comments

Just bought an orange lunchbox capsicum. Should I pinch out the top leaves to promote a more bushy plant?

- Helen

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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.
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