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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05 Jul 22, Anonymous (USA - Zone 7b climate)
Go to the top of the capsicum page and it will tell you. Set to climate zone 7b.
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23 Mar 22, Brenda (USA - Zone 10b climate)
New to growing capsicum I am zone 10 what soil should I prepare to transplant seedlings too and what do I feed them with please Many thanks
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29 Mar 22, Anonymous (USA - Zone 4a climate)
If you start with good friable soil that has had some compost/composted manures in it that should be all that is required.
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23 Feb 22, Joan Markby (Australia - temperate climate)
Do green capsicums turn red.or are they different varieties
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25 Feb 22, Liz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Yes, your capsicums will change colour as they ripen. Varieties are red, yellow, orange when ripe.
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07 Nov 21, Pam (USA - Zone 10a climate)
My bell peppers are still producing from summer. Not nearly as much, but they are still holding their own. Based on the chart I should be planting undercover in seed trays. Should I have pulled out these bell pepper plants at the end of summer? Will they continue to produce until the frost hits them???? curious
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10 Nov 21, (USA - Zone 5a climate)
I would keep them if they are still producing good crop.
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21 Aug 22, Sandra (USA - Zone 10b climate)
Peppers can live for a couple of years; if your plants are still alive through the winter, they should produce the next year. If it snows out, bring them in where it’s cozy as long as they live they will produce I think a maximum of four years depending on the health and care of the plant.
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19 Sep 21, Robin Mendelson (USA - Zone 11a climate)
What bulbs can I plant indoors in south Florida?
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22 Mar 21, Renee Gronow (Australia - temperate climate)
First time question, new to planting and growing home grown vegetables. But have noticed my capsicum plants have black spots
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Showing 11 - 20 of 521 comments
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Could be a number of reasons ... A common ailment with capsicum is blossom-end rot. This condition just effects the fruit and not the plant blossom or flower. The condition gets its name because the symptoms appear at the ‘blossom end’ of the fruit. The first sign of blossom-end rot is that the end of the fruit becomes off-whitish to brown in colour and takes on a ‘sunken in’ appearance. As the fruit matures, these symptoms become more pronounced and the colour of the rot becomes dark brown to almost black. Blossom-end rot is caused by insufficient calcium supply. However, the most common cause is from irregular watering during the critical growing period of the young fruit. Even when calcium levels in the soil are sufficient, a plant receiving insufficient or irregular water will have difficulty absorbing and delivering calcium to the fruit. To control blossom-end rot. Boost the soil with calcium by adding lime, dolomite, gypsum or composted animal manures before planting the seedlings. Water regularly. Most capsicum crops continue to flower and bear fruit for prolonged periods of time, so ensure the soil around their roots is kept moist. Avoid fertilisers with a high nitrogen content. Nitrogen fertilisers will promote leaf growth at the expense of fruit, allocating calcium to the leaves instead of to the fruit.

- ej

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