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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09 Feb 16, Brian Peat (Australia - temperate climate)
Once the fruit has formed and taken off the plant is the plant finished with then
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09 Feb 16, vonnie (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, we have been growing the yellow capiscum was doing really well heaps of fruit then just started dying please help. Vonnie
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31 Jan 16, Robert Cragun (USA - Zone 6a climate)
We live in central utah and have always had trouble getting bell peppers to grow to matuity..what are some good ways to get these finicky guys to mature?
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07 Jan 22, Sarah (USA - Zone 8a climate)
I've had better luck growing them against the southern side of the house. That way the heat from the sun is bouncing back off the building onto the plants. You can also make a little wall around them to help heat them.
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30 Jan 16, Lil (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a capsicum plant about 25cm tall with lots of flowers forming. Should I remove some of the flowers so the plant will grow bigger or not??? Thanks ahead for your comments :)
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28 Jan 16, Noel Eustace (Australia - temperate climate)
Why does my capsicum fall off when half grown?
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17 Jan 16, Hazel (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
My green peppers takes long to produce fruit and the leaves looks wilted all the time .
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17 Mar 16, Bee-Pie (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
The soil may be nitrogen rich and lack phosphorus. Add aged compost to the planting bed. Alternatively, add some blood or bone meal.
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16 Jan 16, Betty (Australia - temperate climate)
The leaves of capsicum plants have lots of holes. I caught some green worms. Are there any non-chemical ways to kill or prevent the further destroy? Many thanks.
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21 Jan 16, Louise (Australia - temperate climate)
Look into companion planting, usually marigolds will do the trick but sure there are others.
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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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