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Fruiting vegetables
Capsicum & Chilli
Slow starters that reward patience. Chillies in particular keep producing for months once established.
Get your planting dates
This guide covers how to grow, harvest and keep capsicum & chilli, deliberately without sowing dates,
because the right date depends entirely on your climate zone. GardenBuddy's planting calendar
covers all seven Australian climate zones and will tell you exactly when to sow where you live.
Growing
Full sun, warm soil, they sulk in cold snaps and stop setting fruit under about 15°C overnight. Keep evenly moist, they're more forgiving of dry spells than tomatoes but yield drops hard.
Common problems
- Blossom drop in extreme heat over about 35°C, or cold nights
- Aphids on new growth, hose off or introduce ladybirds rather than spraying
- Sunscald on exposed fruit, leafy cover matters more than it looks
Harvest
Capsicum can be picked green or left to fully colour for more sweetness. Chillies are ready once they reach full colour and come away with a gentle twist.
Preserving this crop
Best suited to:
Drying & DehydratingFreezingFermenting
Seed saving
Difficulty: Easy. Self-pollinating but will cross with other capsicum/chilli varieties nearby, keep varieties 15m+ apart if seed purity matters. Save seed from fully ripe (coloured) fruit only.