Capsicum
Needs a long, warm, frost-free season to fruit well; reliable outdoors in the North Island and Canterbury, marginal further south.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- moderate
- Spacing
- 45cm
- Harvest
- Ready in 90-110 days
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury
- Expected yield
- 4-8 fruit per plant
- Cost to grow
- ~$10 NZD
- Grocery value
- ~$45 NZD
- Companion plants
- Basil, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Onions, Carrots, Radish, Spinach, Peas, Beans, Parsley
- Plants to avoid nearby
- Brassicas, Fennel
- Common diseases
- Verticillium wilt, Blossom end rot
- Common pests
- Aphids, Whitefly, Thrips
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: September-December. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson and Tasman: October-November. In Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast and Christchurch / Canterbury: November.
Growing stages
Germination & sowing2-3 weeks in warm soil
- Needs warm soil (20-25C) to germinate reliably; slow or patchy in cool conditions
- Best started indoors or under cover given the long frost-free season this crop needs
- Damping off risk in overly wet seed-raising mix
Seedling & establishmentWeeks 3-6
- Don't transplant outdoors until frost risk has passed and soil has warmed
- Aphids and whitefly can colonise soft new growth
- Marginal in regions cooler than Canterbury, so extra shelter may be needed
Vegetative growth
- Thrips can build up on foliage in warm, dry weather
- Verticillium wilt risk in cool, wet soil, watch for sudden wilting
- Full sun and moderate, consistent watering needed for steady growth
Flowering & fruiting
- Blossom end rot develops from inconsistent watering as fruit sets
- Whitefly and aphids often cluster around flowers and new fruit
- Fruit set can stall during prolonged cool or overcast weather
Harvest90-110 days from transplanting
- Ready 90-110 days from transplanting; pick regularly to encourage further fruit (4-8 per plant)
- Colour deepens from green to red or yellow the longer fruit is left on the plant
- Verticillium wilt symptoms can show on older plants late in the season