How to grow Chili Pepper

Capsicum annuum · chili, hot pepper

Spicy warm-season vegetable that requires high temperatures and plenty of light to develop heat and flavor. Slow to germinate and very sensitive to cold.

Chili Pepper — Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Solanaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5.5–6.8
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 20 °C
Germination	14 days
Seedlings ready	60 days
Sowing to harvest	120 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 11 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 120 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	20…28 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage
Growth	every 4 days	18…30 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage
Flowering	every 3 days	18…30 °C	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 3 days	18…30 °C	potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 21 days into the stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 2 days	18…25 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage
Growth	every 5 days	15…30 °C	balanced (NPK), 21 days into the stage
Flowering	every 4 days	15…30 °C	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 4 days	15…30 °C	potassium, at the start of the stage

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	20…26 °C	balanced (NPK), 14 days into the stage
Growth	every 4 days	18…25 °C	balanced (NPK), 21 days into the stage
Flowering	every 3 days	18…25 °C	phosphorus and potassium, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 3 days	18…25 °C	potassium, at the start of the stage; potassium, 14 days into the stage

Growing notes

Light

Full sun is essential; minimum 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Soil

Well-draining, sandy loam enriched with organic matter; slightly acidic.

Care

Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot and encourage stress-induced spice. Gently shake the plant during flowering to aid pollination if grown indoors. Use a support stake for heavier fruiting varieties.

How to tell it is ripe

Pods have reached full size and look smooth.
Ripe pods have changed from green to their final colour: usually red, but also yellow, orange, purple or brown.
A green chilli is ready when it feels firm and crisp when squeezed.
Mature pods come away from the plant easily.
Pick green or leave the pods to colour fully, when they are hottest, and wear gloves because the juice irritates skin and eyes.

Pests and diseases of Chili Pepper

Anthracnose
Bacterial Spot
Broad mite
Colorado Potato Beetle
Fusarium Wilt
Leaf Curl Virus
Leaf Miner
Tomato russet mite
Tomato spotted wilt virus
White mould (Sclerotinia)
Whitefly

Sources

Figures cited from these sources.