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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17 Jul 11, Barb (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best way of preparing the seeds from last years chilli crop before planting them this year. Do you need to soak them before planting?
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04 Feb 12, James (Australia - temperate climate)
Like pumpkins and tomatoes you need to ferment the seed at room temperature until mold forms then wash and dry, this removes a layer on the seed which can prevent it from germinating next season. Alternatively you can rub it off with your fingers but might be hard with the seed size, or you can dry flesh with the seed and it will ferment next season you plant it but germination may take longer. Hope this helps.
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09 Jul 11, Stephen (Australia - temperate climate)
My chilli plants got frosted in the last few days, is it worth pruning them back a little and cover them or do I just start again in spring with new plants? Now, what to do with 2.5kg of chillies???
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01 Aug 11, Chrys (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Stephen New to the gardening world - but I pickled my excess chillies this year and they worked out great! Pickle in Vinegar and pickling spice and Store for a min of a month. That way you have chillies you can use all year round. Chrys
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06 Jul 11, Confused little chilli plant (Australia - temperate climate)
I've bought my potted chilli plant inside over winter so that it doesn't bite the dust like my previous bush did last winter. So it's staying nice and warm and is catching a lot of north sun on my windowsill but I just noticed that it is starting to bloom flowers already!! I think it's confused about the season it's in. Anyhow, will it still be ok to produce flowers/fruit in spring/summer if it's already started flowering now? Should I prune off the flowers or leave them to die off as they won't see any action from bees...
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08 Jul 11, Liz (Australia - arid climate)
lol. I'd leave the flowers on. You don't need bees for them to pollinate, just walk over and give the stems a little shake, they're self pollinating :)
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31 Jul 11, Bek (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Liz! I didn't realize they self-pollinate, I've noticed that they are starting to produce baby chillis now which I'm really excited about for this time of year! Looks like it's not so confused about after all...
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11 Dec 10, Robert Godson (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Are Chilli Plants a defence mechanise against anything; do they assist other plants by keeping away bugs or other infestations
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20 Sep 11, Ines (Australia - tropical climate)
are there any plants that can protect my chilli from being eaten by little bugs and birds?
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12 Oct 10, Craig Rachow (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi I picked up some Chili Tomatoes from a hardware store today, i don't know if they are a type of chili or a spicy tomato. There is no info with them. One is almost ripe enough to try so ill eat it in a day or so. Have you heard of these or can you shed any light?
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Showing 181 - 190 of 272 comments
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I don't mean to be rude, but would like to clarify a few things that have been said here, and give a bit of information. The Bhut Jolokia is supposed to be ~1.5 million Scoville units in heat and is realistically about 1 million, compared to a Habanero, which is usually ~300,000 Scoville units. The habanero is too hot for most, and the Bhut Jolokia is only for the diehard Chilliheads. Scotch Bonnets, Habaneros, and Bhut Jolokias are all Capsicum Chinense, whereas the standard chillies (pointy-ended ones) are Capsicum Annuum, and are usually alot more mild. Sweet Bell Peppers (Capsicums) are C. Annuum, and can cross-pollinate with other Chillies. Kate - Chillies are usually fairly slow-growing plants compared to things like Tomatoes etc. Right now, it may be too cold for them to be in full swing. The flowers are self-fertile, so will pollinate themselves, but you need to help them along by sticking pollen to the Pistil using a cotton bud or similar. Swirling your finger around gently inside the flower works too. When the fruit is pollinated, the flower will go brown, and drop off, and the fruit should start growing. Flowers browning and dropping could also be due to a poor feeding regime. On most (all?) fertiliser bottles you will see a NPK number set. N=Nitrogen, P=Potassium, K=Phosphorus. General vegetative growth (leaves/stems) is encouraged by high-N analysis fertilisers, and flowering is encouraged by high P/K analysis fertilisers. At this time of year, I have my chillies inside on shelves in front of a large west-facing window. Usually, I find that if the overnight low temperature drops below about 5 degrees C then they will stop growing/flowering. I would try and be patient with your Capsicums and Chillies. As they are already established, you should get a good head start this season. Good luck!

- Buzz Killington

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