Chilli peppers
Select Your Climate
There’s a plethora of chilli pepper varieties that look gorgeous on the bush and range in heat from mild to blow your socks off!
When to plant/sow in zone:
Requirements:
Warm, frost free conditions. Long growing season.
Soil:
Prepare soil by weeding, and digging through compost and well-rotted manure.
How to start: SEED: Sow direct in the ground or in punnets into seed-raising mix, 5mm deep. Keep moist. Germinates in 7-21 days. SEEDLING: Plant outside when seedlings are 5-10cm+ tall. Space 50cm apart, in rows 100cm apart. Water in and mulch with straw. When planting in pots use premium potting mix.
How to grow: Water consistently and deeply, particularly when fruit start forming. Keep mulched with straw. Apply seaweed solution or liquid fertiliser fortnightly. Apply organic fertiliser pellets monthly. Apply sulfate of potash when flowers start appearing. Plants may require supporting with stakes or a trellis.
When to harvest: Start harvesting from 12 weeks. Cut chilies off the plant using scissors or garden snips, leaving 2-3cm of stem intact. Harvesting regularly encourages more fruit to develop.
Troubleshooting:
Aphids; Queensland fruit fly; white fly; possums; blossom-end rot
Wondering what to plant when?
Use our planner to create a planting calendar for your climate zone
View Planting Guide
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