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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19 Jan 09, cal (Australia - temperate climate)
We have had our capsicums for a couple of years now and they still produce crop every season if they are not let too dry out
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12 Jan 09, Lucy (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi, I am wanting to know why my capsicums are getting dry on the bottom of the base stem, my mum says it's because i'm not watering them enough (i'm 13) but I water them every day, can somebody please tell me why and how I can fix it?
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12 Jan 09, Aaron (Australia - temperate climate)
My capsicum plants seem to get flower buds before their actually tall enough to get normal size fruit,should i just keep picking the flower buds out from the middle growing tip until the plants are tall enough to produce a normal size fruit?
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05 Jan 09, Liz (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Robyn, Rob and Diane, it seems likely that your capsicums are being attacked by a bacterial disease. You should be able to get some advice and assistance about treatment from your local plant shop.
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05 Jan 09, Diane (Australia - temperate climate)
I have the same problem as Robyn - large soft spot rotting on capsicums - any clues?
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28 Dec 08, Rob (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My capsicum plants are growing really well, but as soon as the flower has fininshed a black area appears on the stem above and below where the flower joins the plant and it falls off. What could be wrong and how can I stop it please?
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18 Dec 08, Wayne (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi my caps and chillis are in my hothouse the temperatures can get up to 42cel is this too hot and will it affect their growth
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11 Dec 08, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Lucy, my capsicums have also been slow starting. I think the cool spring nights have slowed them down. You should see some improvement as the weather settles down.
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10 Dec 08, lucy (New Zealand - temperate climate)
how long do capsicums take to grow? because I put some in in september and they were allready seedlings and now their about 20cm tall but they are not flowering, why not???
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05 Dec 08, robyn (Australia - tropical climate)
Our capsicum plants grow lush and fast. The fruit gets to be about half size, then gets a sudden large soft spot which rots. They are in raised beds with well composted, mushroom compost, soil.
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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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