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 64°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 16 - 20 inches 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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21 Nov 17, William R (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi Daniel We have a lot of red habonero seeds from two bushes. You are welcome to some.
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16 Sep 15, Pete (Australia - temperate climate)
Check the if stems are too deep in the soil, the roots should start just under the soil surface (1-2mm). If they are suffering from stem rot, the water and food cannot move up and down between the leaves and roots and the plant will dry out. If they have stem rot it may be difficult to save them.
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18 Aug 15, JN (Australia - temperate climate)
My hot chilli plant is suddenly drying up. I've been watering it twice a week and feeding it Seasol liquid fertilizer. It was doing great till about two weeks ago. I even bring it in at night to keep it away from the cold and during the day it sits under a skylight. What can I do to keep it alive?
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18 Jan 16, tastyvish (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Chill does not like over watering.If the leaves are showing"yellowing' this is definite sign of water excess . Cut down the water and give good drink only ,when the leaves show bit sign of drooping. Dont worry the plant will recover well.
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02 Jan 16, tastyvish (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Over watering is no good for chlli plant.The thumb rule of watering need of the plant is when the leaves little bit droops. I would suggest cut down the watering and check the drainage is good.If the leaves are yellowing in nature i presume the over watering could be the reason. Don't worry about even sea soling..Godd luck
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21 Aug 15, Geoff True (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi JN Currently growing 8 plants from seedlings and treat mine like you do. Mine are in 6 inch pots and I only spray water (not water can) about every 3rd day and fertilise only about every two to three weeks with fish emulsion. Soil needs to be damp not wet and I'll transplant best 3 next month.
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17 Jul 15, Kabo Maswabi (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Where can i get safe, treated chillies seeds which will be able to thrive in the hot arid conditions
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10 Aug 15, Pam (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Try the online shops: Organic Seeds and Living Seeds
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04 Jul 15, Mahesh Bhai (Australia - temperate climate)
It is the month of july and cold so can we plant chillie plants from the seeds after germination. It us winter in Sydney Australia.
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17 Jul 15, Prometheus (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I would say this really depends on how much frost, if any, you expect before Spring sets in. Generally it's safest to wait until Spring (when soil temperatures are consistently 18 degrees + ), especially with the cold winter we've had across Eastern Australia this year. But Sydney is still classed as a subtropical climate, so provided you have a sheltered area with some kind of wind / frost protection (i.e. not far from a fence) I'd say go for it. If they're starting to look damaged you can always place a plastic bag or mini-greenhouse over the seedlings until the weather warms. Happy gardening and hope you get some prolific chilli plants this year!
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I don't mean to be rude, but would like to clarify a few things that have been said here, and give a bit of information. The Bhut Jolokia is supposed to be ~1.5 million Scoville units in heat and is realistically about 1 million, compared to a Habanero, which is usually ~300,000 Scoville units. The habanero is too hot for most, and the Bhut Jolokia is only for the diehard Chilliheads. Scotch Bonnets, Habaneros, and Bhut Jolokias are all Capsicum Chinense, whereas the standard chillies (pointy-ended ones) are Capsicum Annuum, and are usually alot more mild. Sweet Bell Peppers (Capsicums) are C. Annuum, and can cross-pollinate with other Chillies. Kate - Chillies are usually fairly slow-growing plants compared to things like Tomatoes etc. Right now, it may be too cold for them to be in full swing. The flowers are self-fertile, so will pollinate themselves, but you need to help them along by sticking pollen to the Pistil using a cotton bud or similar. Swirling your finger around gently inside the flower works too. When the fruit is pollinated, the flower will go brown, and drop off, and the fruit should start growing. Flowers browning and dropping could also be due to a poor feeding regime. On most (all?) fertiliser bottles you will see a NPK number set. N=Nitrogen, P=Potassium, K=Phosphorus. General vegetative growth (leaves/stems) is encouraged by high-N analysis fertilisers, and flowering is encouraged by high P/K analysis fertilisers. At this time of year, I have my chillies inside on shelves in front of a large west-facing window. Usually, I find that if the overnight low temperature drops below about 5 degrees C then they will stop growing/flowering. I would try and be patient with your Capsicums and Chillies. As they are already established, you should get a good head start this season. Good luck!

- Buzz Killington

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