moderate · balcony
How to grow chilli pepper
Compact, heavy-cropping, and genuinely perennial indoors — a chilli plant can crop for several years.
Capsicum annuum · Solanaceae
Why bother
One plant produces far more than a household uses, the fruit dries and stores easily, and it survives winter on a windowsill where a tomato will not.
What it needs
- Light
- 6+ hours of direct sun.
- Water
- Let the top 2-3cm dry between waterings. Chillies dislike constantly wet roots.
- Soil
- Free-draining compost. High-potassium feed once fruiting starts.
- Temperature
- 20-30C. Germination is slow and unreliable below 20C.
- Container
- A 25cm pot is enough for most varieties.
- Time to harvest
- 14-18 weeks from sowing — slower than most people expect.
Step by step
Week 0
Sow early and warm
Sow 5mm deep in a warm spot. Chillies have a long season, so start earlier in the year than feels necessary.
Weeks 1-3
Germinate patiently
Expect one to three weeks. Keep the compost warm and just moist, never soaking.
Week 5
Pot on and keep bright
Move to a 9cm pot at the two-true-leaf stage and give it the brightest spot you have.
Week 9
Final pot and support pollination
Move to a 25cm pot. Once flowering starts indoors, tap the stems daily to move pollen between flowers.
Week 16 onward
Harvest green or ripe
Pick green for a milder, grassier flavour, or leave to colour fully for more heat. Picking regularly encourages more fruit.
What usually goes wrong
Seeds never germinate
Cause: Compost too cool. This is by far the most common chilli failure.
Fix: Keep at a steady 22-28C. A propagator or the top of a fridge works.
Flowers drop without setting fruit
Cause: Temperature extremes, or no air movement to shake the pollen loose indoors.
Fix: Tap the flowering stems gently every day, or brush the flowers with a soft brush.
Grows well beside
Basil
Before you eat anything you grow: be certain of the identification. This guide describes chilli pepper specifically — it is not a way to confirm that an unknown plant is safe. Never eat a plant on the strength of an app alone.