Permapotes

Chili Peppers

Chili Peppers: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Chilli peppers belong to the genus Capsicum in the Solanaceae family, alongside tomatoes and aubergines. They are valued for fruits that combine varied flavours with different degrees of heat. Many varieties belong to Capsicum annuum, but other species are cultivated too. Chillies are distinct from black pepper, which comes from another plant despite also giving a pungent sensation. Their common culinary role does not make them botanically identical.

Plants have a branched habit, compact or taller according to type. Their foliage accompanies generally pale flowers, followed by fruits that may point upwards or hang down. Many chillies are frost-sensitive perennials but are grown as annuals in temperate climates. Their name or familiar use therefore does not mean that every plant naturally has a life cycle limited to one season.

Fruits may be long, short, rounded, conical or irregular, depending on the variety. Their walls can be thin or fleshy, with seeds attached to tissues inside. Colours often change during ripening: green, red, orange, yellow and purple are part of this diversity. Not every chilli becomes red when ripe. Colour and size alone cannot reliably predict how hot a fruit will be.

Heat is linked to capsaicinoids, including capsaicin. These compounds are mainly produced in the internal tissues that carry the seeds rather than by the seeds themselves. Seeds may nevertheless be in contact with them. Heat differs greatly between varieties and can vary between individual fruits. The Scoville scale compares this intensity but does not, on its own, describe fragrance or culinary quality.

A chilli can also contribute vegetable or fruity notes beyond the burning sensation. Ripeness and preparation influence this character. Fresh, dried and smoked fruits do not have exactly the same role in a dish. Chillies appear in sauces, soups, stews and seasonings, with different uses according to their flesh and heat. Their flavour can matter as much as the intensity they bring.

In a vegetable garden, varied fruit colours and shapes add visual interest to this warm-season crop. Earliness, plant size and the time needed for ripening differ between selections. Compact forms can suit containers, while taller forms have a more prominent leafy presence. This diversity makes plant habit and fruit character useful considerations alongside the desired level of heat.

Chili Peppers
Chili Peppers
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Challenging
  • Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse crops : Unheated greenhouse
  • Greenhouse Growing : Recommended
  • Sowing Depth : 0.5 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 50 cm
  • Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing