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

16 Apr 19, Sylvia (USA - Zone 9a climate)
Sand would be too heavy. You need to add compost or other organic matter into the soil when planting. To loosen soilup. Chilies/peppers do better in soil pH 6.5 to 7.0. Helpful info link https://bonnieplants.com/how-to-grow/growing-peppers/
09 Jul 17, Allen Payne (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I've planted chillies that keep flowering but no fruit, do you have an idea of what I'm doing wrong. They are healthy!
19 Jul 17, muchaco (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Need to shake the pollen out of the flowers. Probably not many bees around
15 Jul 17, Darren (Australia - temperate climate)
Try a little potash around the plants when flowering. Watered in, this should help promote fruiting.
30 May 17, Allen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I've planted a row of chillo's all bar one are small bushes producing limited fruit but my healthyist plant is a good size but just keeps flowering with no fruit at all. Any ideas what's wrong.
02 Apr 17, Greg (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I use tomato fertilizer and it works well for me.I grow chilli in pots inagreen house.
30 Mar 17, Guy (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
What fertilizer are people using in New Zealand? I see a lot of sites recommending a 10-10-10 or a 5-10-5, most of NZ fertilizer seem to be high nitrogen.
31 Mar 17, (Australia - arid climate)
I use this in temperate Queensland. General all round fert for garden and lawn. Bit low in P but I add a bit more. Go to a farmers fert depot and ask. Buy a 25kg bag, a lot cheaper than shops. $25 for 25 kg at the moment. In a shop 3x the price the other day for 3 kg. CROP KING 88. The fertilizer name. N-P-K-15-4.3-11.3. These indicate that it contains 15% nitrogen, 4. 3% phosphorus and 11. 3% potassium. The forms in which the nutrients are present are indicated in the following table: 15% Nitrogen (N) Ammonia form 4.1% Phosphorus (P) Water Soluble 0.1% Phosphorus (P) Citrate Soluble 0.1% Phosphorus (P) Citrate Insoluble 4.3% Phosphorus (P) Total 11.3% Potassium as Muriate of Potash (i.e. the chloride form) 13.6% Sulphur (S) as Sulphates  48.5%   The remaining 51.5% is made up of elements such as hydrogen, oxygen and carbon that are part of the chemical compounds that contain the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients.
31 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Maybe I am biased but I wouldn't use chemical fertilisers like you mention as they destroy soil life. Healthy soil teeming with soil life is the answer. Build your soil up with old manure, compost and any organic matter and 'numbers' won't be necessary.Use crop rotation starting with a leaf crop after you have added manure, etc to the soil. When the leaf crop is finished plant a fruit crop (beans, capsicum, tomatoes zucchini, etc), then finally a root veg crop. Re-fertilise the soil ready to start the cycle again. plants need more than N-P-K and organic matter will achieve this, building up the soil life, increasing the capacity of the soil to hold water, increasing disease resistance and making more micro-nutrients available to your plants. adding some lime in late autumn or winter will also help. Trust this helps.
16 Mar 17, Marie (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hello, we had the first frost this morning, my plant is full of big green chilies, is it now time to pick all my chilies or will they still turn red? Also how do i save chilie sead for next year?
Showing 151 - 160 of 431 comments

Absolutely, the purpose of the grow bag is to weep the moisture from the ground. If you have the bags on a different surface than bare soil/(non-permeable) you're not using them the way they were intended to be used. You could actually use a bathroom scale and weigh the bag filled with soil/ and planting before watering. Get them all around the same weight, remember or record. Totally saturate the bags, wait until all water dissipates from around them/ excess water drains out and weigh them again, record. You will know exactly how much moisture/medium they hold (8lb/1gal). Over the course of the next days/weeks depending on your conditions, if you go so far as to monitor the weight via the scale or just pick them up to see how heavy they feel you will learn when they (??)

- Elder

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