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.
Best season to start: Start late winter to early spring — the long season means earlier is better.

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.

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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.

Best season to start

Start late winter to early spring — the long season means earlier is better.

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.