Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			S	S	S
				T	T	T

(Best months for growing Chilli peppers in Australia - tropical regions)

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

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: 40 - 50 cm 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

04 Jul 21, Prakash Chandra (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): To get many fruit from chili plant you need to plant a new plant every year. Last years plant have excessive leaves and very less good sized fruit. In tropical climate chili plant produce fruits up to three or four years.
Reply or Post a new comment
05 Aug 22, Anthony (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): I agree .best to plant a new one each year, fruit is bigger. Ive done lots of growing experiments with chillies in Auckland i had a jalapeno plant kept for 4 years in a pot which was babied the whole of its life .. only occasionally did it produce several good size fruit the smaller fruit i used in making sauce`s or cooking Another factor i found is dont grow different varieties close to one another as they can cross pollinate, If you are collecting seeds from the fruit for the next season. You may get smaller fruit
Reply or Post a new comment
29 May 21, Tammy (USA - Zone 7b climate): Have you considered the Carolina reaper? You may have to order plants but it is a very hot pepper..supposedly hotter than ghost
Reply or Post a new comment
14 May 21, Trevor (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Can I transplant a chilli plant after a few months of growth? Approx 6 inches high. It is in a crowded box
Reply or Post a new comment
02 Mar 21, George Hupp (USA - Zone 10b climate): I live in San Pedro in zone 10b. My vegetables include, tomatoes, snap peas, green beans (not pole), radishes, green onions and cucumbers. Except for tomatoes and jalapeño, serano and pan lamp are grown by seed. I am attempting to grow exotic hot peppers of many varieties. What hot peppers grow well here from store bought plants (very limited ) and seeds? Not interested in bells. Jalapeño, habanero, shishto, ghost, pequins and chiltepins are my main focus. Thanks for any advice and suggestions.
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Mar 21, colleen (USA - Zone 10b climate): Any hot pepper you want to grow will do fine in San Pedro assuming you're not RIGHT on the beach as the fog and salty air could pose a challenge. But since you're able to grow all those other veggies you mentioned, you should be fine. I love hot peppers too and find the selection at nurseries disappointing. Seed catalogs and seed swaps are the way to go. I like Baker Creek because they have free shipping no matter how small the order, though sometimes they're out of stock a lot. My favorites to grow are shishito, which isn't hot but is VERY productive, scorpion, cajun belle, kimchi, and Chinese 5 color. The biggest thing I wish I knew when I started growing hot peppers in SoCal is that they NEED shade cloth during the hottest months, or else the plants will get sun scorched and the flowers won't set fruit. If the plants are in
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Mar 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I suggest you will have to buy seeds and germinate them.
Reply or Post a new comment
04 Dec 20, Isaiah ramaphala (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Can I plant chisa Chillies at Brits on the 15 th of December
Reply or Post a new comment
08 Dec 20, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Check the planting guide here. Seedling maybe - seeds probably not.
Reply or Post a new comment
08 Nov 20, Claire (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): I live in East London. Can i plant chilies ini pots as in flower pots or do you advise directly in the garden?
Reply or Post a new comment

Showing 31 - 40 of 434 comments

See comments for all plants

Replying to:

I'm growing Trinidad scorpion Butch T and Moruga. seeing they are the worlds record holder for hottest Chillies Well why not give them ago. My first crop have now got fruit and I have a few friends who love hot food so when they found out I had some of the worlds hottest chillies they could not wait to try them. I warned them that they were hotter then anything they have ever tried in their life but this did not stop one mate who thought how bad could it be I said if you are going to eat one you have to eat and swollow the whole thing not just nibble on it. So he popped it in his mouth and begain to chew he wanted to show how tough he was so he kept chewing I could see the pain in his eyes he then tried to swollow it but choked on the hottness he tried milk and icecream but it was just to hot and ended having to go to hospital for a check up. no real harm done but for a good 45 minutes he wished he was dead. I've scraped the seeds out of one and eatten it and I love hot food but I was in so so much pain. In north QLD chillies grow all year round except when it floods and your chillies are a few feet under water that seems to kill them off.

- Ryan

Your name

Where are you?

Email address

Please provide your email address if you are hoping for a reply

Your reply

All comments are reviewed before displaying on the site, so your posting will not appear immediately

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Your comments and tips

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Your comments and tips

Become A Supporter!

Planting Reminders