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

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07 Feb 15, wale (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
Can I plant red bell pepper seeds directly into the ground without transplantation from the beginning In Nigeria, West Africa and how long can a red pepper plant produce continuously?
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07 Feb 15, Charlotte (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Capsicum rotting from inside out. Look like they are wilting and soft. Can we redig the rotten ones into the patch? We have had very hot summer in QLD, would that be a factor. We currently have chillis growing without much problem in the same patch. Some chillis are a bit soft and wilted looking,but we have had a great success with the chillis. Cooking chillis does that make them less hot? As we are finding they aren't that hot. Also how do we dry chilli? Thanks
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26 Jun 15, Matt MCGrath (Australia - temperate climate)
Charlotte, lack of calcium is basically the only cause of the capsicum blossom end rot. That is the brown soft spot that grows on the bottom of Capsicums and tomatoes. Two reasons are that to much fertiliser in the preparation of the bed causes the available calcium to go to the leaves instead of the fruit. The second and main reason is that the bed should err on the alkaline side of the scale. When preparing beds for such plants put a handful of lime of dolomite lime for every square metre in the bed a month either side of any enriching of the bed, as manure will deactivate the calcium. Now is be preparation time in temperate areas.
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14 Jun 15, Rex (Australia - temperate climate)
Your probably cross pollinating if you are growing chilli's and capsicum in the same spot. The chilli's will become less hot with each new crop and the capsicum will get hotter.
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16 May 15, Peter Melbourne VIC. (Australia - temperate climate)
Charlotte, Sometimes my capsicum would rot at the bottom, so I looked it up and it was stated that TOO MUCH fertilizing can cause the problem. I put any suspect ones back in the compost so not all is lost. As for the chillies, there are hundreds of varieties all with different heat levels, Cooking does not temper them the only thing you can do is remove the seeds before using it. I dry my chillies by threading them onto a length of fishing line and hanging it in a sunny window in the kitchen. They look quite decorative. It will take a few weeks to properly dry them. Store them in jars and use as needed. Hope this helps.
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01 Feb 15, Shanni (Australia - temperate climate)
My capsicum plant started growing the long narrow chilli shaped capsicums but now on the same bush it's growing a traditional shaped one that's green? How and why does this happen, can someone explain please? Thanks!!
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16 May 15, Peter Melbourne VIC. (Australia - temperate climate)
Shanni, Last summer I had the same thing happen to me. When I looked into it I had planted a variety called Sweet Mix (capsicum annuum), the long ones are yellow or red and the "normal ones" are mainly green but if left some turn red. They all taste good too! Hope this helps.
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31 Jan 15, Neville Graham (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Capsicum ,small variety,falling off bush before ripening. Bush is healthy. Any clues why this is happening
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08 Apr 15, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Are they stung by fruit fly? I loose quite a lot during the warm weather but when it cools off and there are no fruit fly around I don't loose any.
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30 Jan 15, David (Australia - temperate climate)
The rotten spot could be sun scald (whitish) ...but, if it is rotten on the bottom end of the fruit it is most likely bottom end rot and the plant needs calcium.
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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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