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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06 Sep 10, Sylvia Borg (Australia - arid climate)
I have a shrub of hot chillies I was wondering if I can trimming down?
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30 Jun 10, KAiki (Australia - temperate climate)
Can I grow chilli in a pot inside the house in winter?
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05 Jul 10, Bill44 (Australia - temperate climate)
If you want to use chilli's during the winter months it's best to pickle some of the crop before they finish. This is what I do and have year round supply.
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12 Apr 10, fiona (Australia - tropical climate)
The best way to get rid of the burning of chilli, on your fingers or mouth is milk, either drink or soak fingers in the milk its works for me!
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06 Apr 10, Wendy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have something eating my chilli plant too. When I look at the underside of the leaves there are lots of tiny pale green creatures, I think they might be aphids? I'm trying pyrethrum to get rid of them, fingers crossed.
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23 Feb 10, Alison Smith (Australia - temperate climate)
Feb 10 - We've planted a black pearl capsicum - stunning black foliage & fruit. Just harvested and deseeded the ripe fruit (red). I will try my hand at growing some more from seed. I make the mistake of not handling them with gloves, so my hands are still stinging. The brother in law's a chilli fan, but these'll blow his head off!
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13 Feb 10, Beverley (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My Birds Eye chillie plants are now approx. 5 ft high covered in tons of little chillies - do you prune chillie plants? - first time chillie grower!!!.
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22 Jun 10, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am not sure how to pick chillies,do you cut the stem or pull off from the base of chilli
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16 May 11, Dennis (Australia - temperate climate)
leave the whole stem on the chillie.
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25 Jun 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
In the supermarket they all seem to have a bit of stem still attached, so they've been cut off. I normally cut them, as if they are ripe then pulling them will split the fruit and cover your hands with chilli juice.
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Showing 191 - 200 of 272 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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