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

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18 Jun 16, Andrea (Australia - temperate climate)
I relive that it's probably cheaper to buy them at the shops but just wanting to try my hand a growing capsicums, and a lot of my veggies for that matter. Do capsicums need to be grown on a trellis similar to beans or are they more like a tomato bush? Sorry for the weird question. I just want to make sure that I prepare the garden properly.
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18 Aug 16, Glenn (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I only grow vegetables that are cheaper to grow than to buy - capsicum is amongst them.
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01 Jul 16, Mike (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
they are a bush type, they don't need a trellis.
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15 Jun 16, Wendy (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes capsicums continue to ripen after being picked. Small fruit and or not ripening use potash liquid once a week. Only water at the base of the plant. It the flowers aren't turning to fruit then plant flowers near to attrack bees eg marigolds, lavender etc
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12 Jun 16, angyelile benson mwalongo (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate)
To join and to know how to grow capsurm and to be helped
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08 Jun 16, ray (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Do Capsicum in to be pull out or just cut back
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28 May 16, Di (Australia - tropical climate)
I have one capsicum plant (came up from scraps thrown out), but grew beautifully and gave us two lovely sized capsicums. Will it refruit? or is that it's lifespan over?
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29 May 16, Kevin OBryan (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello Di, Like chillies, if you cut it back gently it will refruit if you are in a frost free area, But you are far better to plant new seedlings every year in spring. I am still picking lots of capsicums from bushes planted last October but they are now much smaller and take a long time to turn red. I should have pruned the flowers from January on wards . I will pick all the remaining green fruit and pickle them. They grow very easily from seed treat just like you would tomatoes. Happy vegy gardening.
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25 May 16, kim (Australia - tropical climate)
hi i am having trouble with my capsicum being eaten by bugs what should i do
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08 May 16, Mohd (Australia - temperate climate)
Can I transplant capsicum at this season that is May ?
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Showing 171 - 180 of 521 comments
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Hi Barbara, I had the same thing happen last year, those plants somehow survived a very hot wet summer and through autumn produced masses of fruit and are also now producing masses of new fruit after I pruned them back hard and started applying a vegetable targeted liquid plant fertilizer with seaweed included. I also added lime around the plants and sprayed the leaves with a bit of epsom salts dissolved in water around the time I pruned them. Don't give up on these ones give them a prune at the end of winter and they will come back for you, if you live in a cooler area you may have to wait til spring but if you get no frost they will come back bigger and better when the weather warms up later this year, caps do last longer than one year and I find they produce much more in the second year than the first, when they put most effort into producing strong stem and branch to support the weight of the following years fruit. Honestly one plant that did this weird year long wait had about 11 fruit on it in March. Sometimes it's better when they start out slow, good luck mate.

- Alison McGregor

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