Long red chili peppers hanging on the plant.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons From the 4000×2248 original, cropped to 2996×2247 at (502, 0) (4:3), scaled to 576×432 and re-encoded as WebP (quality 30); metadata removed.

Chili Pepper

Capsicum annuum

About it

Kind
Vegetables · Annual
Family
Solanaceae
Frost
Very tender — needs warm soil and nights
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
18 in apart
Soil depth in a pot
At least 12 in
Water
About every 7 days

ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH, feeding needs and mature size yet.

When to plant

Start indoors
8 weeks before planting out
Plant out
Plant out 2 weeks after the last frost
Soil temperature
Germinates from 60°F
Ready
About 75 days from planting out

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Planting partners

No cited companion planting notes for Chili Pepper yet.

Safety for pets and children

  • Cats No information in our sources
  • Dogs No information in our sources
  • Horses No information in our sources
  • Children No information in our sources

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Chili Pepper yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

  • category NC State Extension ↗ Listed in Table 16-4, "Garden Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs"
  • climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Ch. 16 lists peppers among the warm-season annuals, which it calls frost-sensitive; the Toolbox page calls it "a frost-tender perennial". No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
  • climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Ch. 16 lists peppers among the warm-season annuals, which it calls frost-sensitive; the Toolbox page calls it "a frost-tender perennial". No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
  • days to maturity NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4: Peppers T=75-80, S=145-150*, where * means start indoors and never sow direct -- so this is days from transplant, the convention the catalogue's Bell Pepper row uses
  • family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Capsicum annuum L.
  • frost hardiness cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) very tender class lists pepper
  • indoor start weeks cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) 8-10 weeks, NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-3 6-8, CSU #720 (Colorado) transplant age 6-8: 8 is in all three
  • indoor start weeks NC State Extension ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) 8-10 weeks, NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-3 6-8, CSU #720 (Colorado) transplant age 6-8: 8 is in all three
  • indoor start weeks extension.unh.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) 8-10 weeks, NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-3 6-8, CSU #720 (Colorado) transplant age 6-8: 8 is in all three
  • life cycle NC State Extension ↗ Grown as an annual. The Toolbox page describes cayenne; hot peppers of the same species share the row
  • life cycle NC State Extension ↗ Grown as an annual. The Toolbox page describes cayenne; hot peppers of the same species share the row
  • maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ The 0069 row took NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's Peppers T=75-80 (start indoors, never sow direct)
  • min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Table 18-1: Peppers, minimum container depth 12-16 in; low end. A group figure, as every ch. 18 depth is
  • min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 2: pepper germination minimum 60°F
  • space requirement NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4 distance between plants: 18 in. The table publishes no row distance, so rows equal plants -- the square spacing of an intensive bed
  • species NC State Extension ↗
  • sunlight NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
  • transplant weeks rel last frost cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: pepper 2 weeks after last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) very tender class: typically 2+ weeks after. Agree
  • transplant weeks rel last frost extension.unh.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: pepper 2 weeks after last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) very tender class: typically 2+ weeks after. Agree
  • water frequency days UMN Extension ↗ UMN "Growing peppers" (which covers hot peppers: "ancho, chili, habanero, jalapeño"): "If the plant does not receive one inch of rain weekly, soak the soil thoroughly at least once a week."

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