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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30 Oct 14, Floyd (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I have plant the green pepper in limpopo(Phalaborwa), My question its okay have a green house to protect the pepper because its hot in Phalaborwa. What must I do to maintain them so long
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24 Oct 14, anne (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown plants from store-bought capsicums very successfully & they are now about 12 inches tall but would like to know if they need to be staked & do I just feed then liquid seaweed fertiliser. Also how long before the fruit appears
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16 Oct 14, ken (Australia - temperate climate)
Do capsicum need to be staked
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26 Oct 14, (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes, stake your your plants. They are akin to tomatoes and grow the same way outdoors. the plant can grow 2.0m high. You can use a liquid potash solution or liquid fish solution for best results.
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08 Dec 14, Chris (Australia - temperate climate)
Do mini capsicums need to be staked? I bought some Bello Rosso seeds & have planted tonight.
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04 Oct 14, helen creeley (Australia - temperate climate)
Why is my capsicum plant getting yellow tips on the leaves and what remedy do you recommend
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15 Aug 14, Steve (Australia - temperate climate)
Live in Melbourne and have dried out some seeds of a supermarket capsicum. Should I plant the seeds now or wait a little while longer??
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29 Aug 14, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Sow them now inside in trays, plant them out in 4-6 weeks time.
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20 Jul 14, peter (Australia - temperate climate)
deterrent from wasps laying there eggs in them,i have to pick them early due to the wasps destroying them.
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10 May 14, craig (Australia - temperate climate)
Your capsicum and chilli plants of all varieties will sit dormant like a dead stick for the winter months. Prune as you would a Hibiscus or rose and keep up the fortnightly seaweed/liquid fertilizer as the roots are still strong. Each year the yield will be larger and more prolific. My second year banana capsicum tree which is 2 metres tall produced 3 times from October till march. Stay loyal!
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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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