Growing Chilli peppers, also Hot peppers

Capsicum sp. : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                S S    
                    T T

(Best months for growing Chilli peppers in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings

September: After risk of frosts

  • 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 18°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 50 cm apart
  • Harvest in 9-11 weeks. Wear gloves to pick 'hot' chillies.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Best grown in a separate bed as chillies need plenty of light and air circulation.

Your comments and tips

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04 Mar 21, colleen (USA - Zone 10b climate)
Any hot pepper you want to grow will do fine in San Pedro assuming you're not RIGHT on the beach as the fog and salty air could pose a challenge. But since you're able to grow all those other veggies you mentioned, you should be fine. I love hot peppers too and find the selection at nurseries disappointing. Seed catalogs and seed swaps are the way to go. I like Baker Creek because they have free shipping no matter how small the order, though sometimes they're out of stock a lot. My favorites to grow are shishito, which isn't hot but is VERY productive, scorpion, cajun belle, kimchi, and Chinese 5 color. The biggest thing I wish I knew when I started growing hot peppers in SoCal is that they NEED shade cloth during the hottest months, or else the plants will get sun scorched and the flowers won't set fruit. If the plants are in
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04 Mar 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I suggest you will have to buy seeds and germinate them.
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04 Dec 20, Isaiah ramaphala (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Can I plant chisa Chillies at Brits on the 15 th of December
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08 Dec 20, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Check the planting guide here. Seedling maybe - seeds probably not.
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08 Nov 20, Claire (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I live in East London. Can i plant chilies ini pots as in flower pots or do you advise directly in the garden?
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09 Nov 20, Anonymous (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
You can grow in a pot, make sure it is a big pot. If chilli is going to grow 50cm make the pot that wide also.
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14 Oct 20, taylah (Australia - temperate climate)
this information is very helpful;,
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01 Aug 20, Constance (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I stay in Botswana.When can I start to plant chillies?
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03 Aug 20, Anonymous (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Look at the monthly calendar at the top of the page, set your climate zone, it tells you the best months to start planting - NOV.
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22 Jul 20, Christal van der Byl (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I live in the Eastern Cape and my mom makes and sells chilli paste. I am thinking of growing the chillies ourselves because it can get difficult to find chillies. What advice do you have to make sure that we always have chillies growing? I will be making wooden creates / boxes to grow the chillies in, because the soil on our land is not very fertile if I grow but it will be outside and in the boxes I can move them around for different times of the year where the sun will be catching best.
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Showing 31 - 40 of 428 comments
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Hi Ahmed, It depends on how much shade they get. I live in Johannesburg North and have successfully grown chillies in an area that gets around 3 hours of sun a day in summer (less in winter). Important is that they are in a sheltered location. I have successfully grown 3 chilli bushes - they are now 4 years old. The varieties I have were selected for their longevity (not annuals) and shade tolerance, and bought online from Livingseeds: 2 pepperdew types (Shan's sundew and Carl's sundew) as well as the West Park Birds Eye chilli. The West Park produces so prolifically that I get more chillies than leaves on the plant! You will need to do some pruning of the bushes in spring because they get more leggy than they would in full sun - cut back about 1/3 in early spring before any leaves appear. So unless you have total shade I recommend you give it a try.

- Astrid

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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