Growing Capsicum, also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers

Capsicum annuum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec

Not recommended for growing in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions

  • 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: 8 - 20 inches apart
  • Harvest in 10-12 weeks. Cut fruit off with sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Egg plant (Aubergine), Nasturtiums, Basil, Parsley, Amaranth

Your comments and tips

05 May 16, Helen (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi all. I was given a capsicum plant that had one large fruit. It ripened on the vine and was delicious. Now (6/5/16) the is producing more buds and flowers. Do I encourage the plant to produce more fruit or should I remove the bubs? Grateful for any tips. I am in the Hills district of Sydney nsw. Thanks.
21 Apr 16, Jessica (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I've been growing this capsicum plant for ages and the first season the fruit was big, it grew even bigger then it got way too big for the pot it was in so we carefully transplanted it to a bigger one. Since the massive growth spurt it hasn't put on any big fruit, the biggest was maybe slightly bigger then one of those little bouncy balls. It gets food and stuff but still nothing, i encourage new fruit by constantly harvesting it which usually just gets thrown away as they're far too small to cut up (the entire thing is just seeds inside). Please help I don't know what else to do and I miss the fresh capsicum lol
03 Apr 16, Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
Will Capsicum fruit go on ripening when picked as tomatoes do?
30 Mar 16, Alex Clifton (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I am having trouble with a crop of capsicum. Despite fertilizing with Nitram several times as my crop gets older their leaves and stems are becoming floppy. Can anyone help me?
31 Mar 16, Lorna (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Alex and in the same climate zone as you. As your capsicums plants get bigger we stake them up by putting a stake at each end of the row and run string between them, run a small loop around the plant near the top and tie to the string ties, as the capsicums tend to weigh down the stems. If you are experiencing a lot of heat as we are with 30oc plus heats they may need more water too. We fertilize with Seasol once a fortnight and give them a side dressing of AG lime at the same time. Capsicums are a huge lover of calcium so their vegetables grow with lovely thick walls or alternatively put some washed crushed egg shells around the base will work too. Hope they perk up for you.
18 Mar 16, Doug adams (Australia - temperate climate)
Why are my capsicum falling off when small
31 Mar 16, Lorna (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Doug and you will find it is usually high temperatures that cause it and they simply fall off, don't worry you will get more on the plant. We plant ours in an area that are protected from the midday sun to stop the vegetable drop and have found that helps. We fertilise with Seasol once a fortnight and give them a side dressing of AG lime. Capsicums love calcium and this makes the walls of the vegetables thick and healthy. Alternatively you can crush up washed and dried egg shells and place them around the base of the plant & dig in. Happy gardening
15 Feb 16, Ruby (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, was just wondering if anyone could offer me some advice on my capsicums. My plant is healthy and producing plenty of fruit but just as fruit starts to turn red the fruit starts getting eaten by something causing it to rot making the fruit inedible. Any tips?
14 Apr 16, Michelle (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi , mine had same problem I opened up and mine had Clog Moths a clear whitish fleshy Grub looking thing so I had to spray , but take the crop off start again wait till next lot spray but my leafs went limp but still producing good capsicums I'm in WA we had a very hot Sumer too hope that helps
06 Mar 16, Alan (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Ruby, This late in the season eat the remaining capsicums on your plants green, leave the plants in the ground until next season & you will find they set fruit early. With a stronger root system & larger plant you will reap a bumper crop around early January. Sorry about the timing I'm new to the site.
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