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 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

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12 Apr 16, Cassie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Mine too. It's usually because of too much water as chillies dont like to be coddled. Nothing you can do for the ones already on the plant.
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21 Feb 16, Cheryl (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My chillies are rotting on the bush before they ripen. Looks like something is stinging them and then there is small grubs inside. I am not going to have a crop at all! Is there something I canspray with?
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14 Jun 16, Jason (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Might be fruit fly, a friend mentioned he had fruit fly in his chillies, perhaps it happens if the chillies are not very hot. I have fruit fly in my grapefruit every year, but so far they haven't affected the cayenne chillies which are only 5 or 6 metres away.
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06 Mar 16, Lyndy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I haven't a glue what grub you got but you could try spraying the bush with a garlic spray seems to keep most insects,and bugs away. ibuy the powdered garlic for supermarket mix a tsp in a spare bottle and go for it. Good luck.
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08 Jan 17, Ahane (Australia - tropical climate)
It's fruit fly. Had the same problem. Pruned bushes lower, removed all affected fruit and covered plants with insect mesh from the nursery. Cheap as and all new fruit is awesome without pesticides. Just remove netting while they're not flowering.
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20 Feb 16, Dan (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The flowers generally mean chillies come out of them.
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17 Feb 16, Rocki (Australia - temperate climate)
I am growing a Carolina Reaper that is approx one meter high. It is in a 30 litre pot in full sun. There are lots of flowers but no fruit. Is it a case of waiting, or am I doing something wrong. The Cayenne that is growing next to it is going nuts with heaps of chillies.
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05 Nov 17, Tanya (Australia - temperate climate)
We have a chocolate habanero, jellybean habanero and Devils Brew. We did have a Madame Jeanette but lost that during the first hot winds here. They each get fruit at different times. Be patient, you should get chillies soon.
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16 Feb 16, Mira (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanku all-very helpful comments. It looks like the diagram: tiny chillies. What if I plant it into the ground with a shade-cloth roof to protect from frost?
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15 Feb 16, Sandra Roberts (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in Parramatta area and wonder what zone I'm in !! Just seen comment from someone who has Gippsland as temperate ?? Love this site.
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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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