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

25 Nov 19, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Look for when they say to plant. GROW in autumn/winter not summer.
22 Nov 19, anon (Australia - tropical climate)
I have that wrong with the melons etc. In tropics plant mid-late Autumn. In the sub tropics plant spring but you need to germinate the seeds in late winter- a problem with soil temps then as they are a little low. Germinate indoors in a warm area.
10 Oct 19, Phil Rodwell (Australia - temperate climate)
Just wanted to say what an amazingly useful resource your site is. Thanks for so much useful advice. Regards Phil Rodwell (Thank you, from the Gardenate team)
27 Aug 19, Jodie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
What best month plant chilli seeds please
27 Aug 19, Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Check here https://www.gardenate.com/plant/Chilli%20peppers?zone=3
20 Mar 19, amelia hall (Australia - tropical climate)
how many types of chilli peppers are there in the world?
23 Mar 19, Sue (Australia - temperate climate)
Wikipedia estimates 50,000 varieties of
18 Feb 19, Geoff Baker (Australia - temperate climate)
Do chilli plants need plenty of water? My bushes look healthy but the leaves and flowers keep falling off. Thanks
19 Feb 19, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Depends on the soil type. Small plants need small waterings regularly - each day in summer especially. Larger plants need a bigger watering less often - each 2-3 days. Pushing your finger in the soil will tell you if the soil is dry or wet.
19 Feb 19, Carmen J. (Australia - temperate climate)
Your peppers and chillies will do better with some shade cloth on top, not more than 50% shade, they are stress with the heat and they start to drop leaves and flowers.
Showing 11 - 20 of 272 comments

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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