Chili pepper

• Some varieties of chili may need to be supported with a cane as the fruit develops. * High phosphorous soil amendments such as bonemeal will help get transplants off to a fast start.

Being a warm climate plant, Chilis require warmth to germinate so they will often need to be planted indoors initially. Plant 2-3 seeds per plug / seed tray and cover with a small amount of compost and water in well. Using a seed tray with a lid (or covering the pots / tray with a plastic bag) can be good to keep water levels consistent while germination is occurring. When the chili seedlings have poked through the soil, uncover and sit the tray in a warm sunny location and keep a close eye on their moisture levels. Keep rotating the pots / tray to keep the seedlings growing upright, and repot up when the chili seedlings grow 2-4 leaves.

If more than one seedling per plug / pot survives to this stage, you can either carefully snip the weaker seedlings at the base or you can attempt to separate and repot each seedling. Remember that chili seedlings will be very fragile at this stage, so if you choose to repot take a huge amount of care or you may lose all of them!

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Chili pepper about 38 days before your last frost date .

Transplant out chilis when all danger of frost has passed as they are quite susceptible to cold temperatures and will tend to stunt if planted out too early.

Try to harden off your chili plants for about a week before transplanting by moving them outside for small periods of time each day, gradually leaving them outside all day on the last day before transplanting. This method will ensure that your chili seedlings will be acclimatised to the weather outside and will not go into shock.

A good way to check if your chili plants are ready for transplanting is by keeping an eye on their root systems: when the plants just start to become root-bound this is about the right time to plant them out. Ensure the soil is richly composted and has a good supply of nitrogen as this will give them a good vigorous growth burst.

By our calculations*, you should look at planting out Chili pepper about 14 days after your last frost date.

The time to harvest your chilis will depend on the variety you grow, but in general they should be ready 75 – 90 days from planting. Refer to pictures of the mature plant as they will give you a good idea of what your chilis should look like when ripe, but as a guide most chilis tend to go through a green stage, followed by a reddening phase and then afterwards will tend to go a very dark purple black colour.

The fruit should come off the branch quite easily when ripe, if they are difficult to remove then they may not be ripe and should be left on for a while longer. If you do harvest your chili too early, you can place it in a warm sunny place (like a window sill) for a couple of days and it will often continue to ripen.

To harvest your chilis, use garden clippers or a knife to ensure you don’t damage the branches. If your chili variety is quite hot, it is often a good idea to protect your hands with gloves and wash your hands before you touch your face so that any chili oils on the plant do not irritate your skin.

Try to keep harvesting as the fruit is ready, as this encourages the plant to produce more chilis and will give you a longer growing period.

These plants have been known to grow well alongside Chili pepper so consider planting:

• Chili pepper loves Tomato

  The dense foliage of tomatoes can help to shade the forming chili fruits and help to raise the humidity levels around the plant.

• Chili pepper loves Marjoram

  Marjoram can be used as a good ground cover to help keep moisture and humidity levels consistent.

• Chili pepper loves Basil

  Basil can act as a good ground cover to help keep Chili's moisture and humidity levels consistent.

These plants will not grow well with Chili pepper so avoid planting these within close proximity:

• Chili pepper dislikes Bean

• Chili pepper dislikes Cabbage

• Chili pepper dislikes Brussels sprout

These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect Chili pepper plants:

• Bacterial Leaf Rot

• Tobacco Mosaic Virus

  Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) is carried by tobacco in cigarettes, and is mainly...

• Aphids

  Also known as greenfly and blackfly, Aphids are a common sap-sucking garden p...

• White Fly

  Small, white winged insects measuring between 1-2 mm (1/16th")

• Nematodes

• Verticillium Wilt

  Caused by soil-borne fungi that attacks through the roots and grows upward in...

• Nitrogen Deficiency

• Magnesium deficiency

• Excessive Watering

• Thrips

  Thrips are tiny white coloured flies that feed by burrowing into plant tissue...

• Spider Mites

  Tetranychus urticae (an animal with over 60 common names, including red spide...

• Slugs

  A snail without a shell. A mollusc with an elongated, soft body with a shiny...

• Snails

• Powdery Mildew

  White powdery spot disease that affects a large variety of plants.

• Phytopthora blight

• Anthracnose

• Blossom End Rot

• Grey Mold

• Damping off

• Pepper Mosaic & Pepper Mottle Virus

• Tobacco Etch Virus

  Tobacco Etch Virus (TEV) is caused when infected aphids and other insects com...

Although having a botanical name epithet of “annuum” meaning annual, the chili pepper is not an annual and can grow for several seasons ³

Chile pepper

Capsicum annuum, Capsicum annuum var. longum, Capsicum annuum longum

Misspellings: Capsicum anuum, Chillie, Chily, Chile, Chilli, Chilli Pepper, Chili Pepper, Pepperoni

Our when to plant Chili pepper estimates are relative to your last frost date. Enter your frost dates and we'll calculate your sowing and planting dates for you!

² Scoville Scale – Wikipedia

³ Capsicum annuum – Wikipedia