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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04 Nov 13, Dennis (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate)
I am interested in Capsicum farming in Congo Brazzaville Which specie of capsicum will favorably grow here?
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30 Oct 13, Pat Davis (Australia - temperate climate)
I have a tomatoe planted on a plot above & a capsicum planted in a lower plot, does this mean that I have to dig out the capsicum, put it in a pot & shift it to another part of the garden?? Please advise. Many thanks.
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22 Nov 13, DrGreenThumb (Australia - temperate climate)
No. They are actually closely related. Transplanting can stunt growth or shock a plant. Consider this (and all) forums "just advice" Lettuce know how you go.
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30 Oct 13, Tom (Australia - temperate climate)
Are there any native varieties?
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28 Oct 13, shannon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I know it's probably just common sense but can you just use the seeds from a store bought capsicum and if so do you need to do anything before planting iedry them out? Tia
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22 Nov 13, DrGreenThumb (Australia - temperate climate)
Personally I leave them on a windowsill for 3 days to dry, then refrigerate them for 4 weeks. I have a very high success rate with this method so I skip seed raising and plant the seeds out 20cm apart expecting 100% germination. Good luck
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22 Oct 13, Jessica (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
How do i tell the difference if its going to be a red, yellow or green plant?
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11 Nov 13, Elsie (Australia - temperate climate)
They all start off green, and change colour as they ripen. They're edible when they're green, but you might prefer the taste once they ripen up. I don't know if there are any differences in the plant itself that tell you which variety (yellow, red, brown) it will be though sorry.
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16 Oct 13, Tina Lockyer (Australia - temperate climate)
should capsicum and chilli plants be cut back in the winter?
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15 Sep 13, Martha (Australia - temperate climate)
Yep, you are so right, my veggie garden is only 100cm!! so i only have one capsicum but yeah, that must have been a mistake...
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Showing 291 - 300 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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