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VegetablesTenderAnnual
Chilli
Chilli is a tender pepper crop grown for fruits that range from mildly warming to intensely hot, depending on the variety. It suits pots, greenhouse culture and sunny patios, and can be harvested green, fully coloured or dried for later use.
Basic information
Category
Vegetables
Lifecycle
Annual
Hardiness
Tender
Planting partners
2 companions · 1 crop to avoid
Growth profile
Days to harvest
100 days
Germination window
10–21 days
Germination temperature
20–30 °C
Plant spacing
40 cm
Row spacing
60 cm
Sowing depth
0.5 cm
Height
75 cm
Spread
40 cm
Calendar
JJan
FFeb
MMar
AApr
MMay
JJun
JJul
AAug
SSep
OOct
NNov
DDec
Sow Indoors
Sow Outdoors
Plant Out
Flowering / Harvest
Timings based on average frost dates in the UK. Sign up to set your frost dates.
Care tips
Start chilli plants early with reliable warmth so they have time to flower and ripen a worthwhile crop. Keep them warm at night, avoid waterlogging, and harvest ripe pods frequently so plants continue to flower and direct energy into fresh fruit rather than overmaturing old ones.
Common pests
Aphids, whitefly, slugs, spider mites.
