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How to grow chilli peppers

Frost-tender · Nightshade family

When to sow and plant

  • Start indoors 25 February – 11 March
  • Plant out 6–20 May

Frost-tender: everything 17 days later, so it only goes outside once there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years.

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Planting calendar for your area
Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

  • Start indoors: 8–10 weeks before the last frost (University of Maryland Extension: Growing Peppers in a Home Garden)
  • Plant out: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (NMSU Guide H-240: Growing Chile Peppers in New Mexico Gardens)

Good and bad neighbours

Good neighbours · 1

  • White cabbageStudy· B

    In the same Myanmar trial, cabbage next to chilli had fewer diamondback moth caterpillars.

    B: Hint from one study

    White cabbage

Crop rotation

After the nightshade family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years.

  • The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
  • Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.

At a glance

Family
Nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Frost
Tender to frost
Spacing (row × plant)
61–76 × 20–36 cm (24–30 × 8–14 in)
Plants per m²
8.2
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
1 plant
Life cycle
Annual
Harvest
After 70–85 days from planting

Spacing according to NMSU Guide H-240: Growing Chile Peppers in New Mexico Gardens. Other sources: – × 38–45 cm (– × 15–18 in) (RHS: How to grow chilli peppers).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out chilli peppers?

Plant out, average for Germany: 6–20 May. That is the date after which there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant chilli peppers?

61–76 × 20–36 cm (24–30 × 8–14 in) (row × plant), according to NMSU Guide H-240: Growing Chile Peppers in New Mexico Gardens.

What grows well next to chilli peppers?

White cabbage: Good neighbour (B).

How long a break do chilli peppers need in the same bed?

After the nightshade family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years. The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

More from the nightshade family

Sources

Show 8 sources
  1. NMSU Guide H-240: Growing Chile Peppers in New Mexico Gardens
  2. University of Maryland Extension: Growing Peppers in a Home Garden
  3. RHS: How to grow chilli peppers
  4. NYC Parks GreenThumb: Square Foot Gardening (Growing Veggies in NYC Training)
  5. Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
  6. Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
  8. Thu Zar Aung et al.: Effect of Intercropping on the Infestation of Diamondback Moth on Cabbage (Yezin Agricultural University, Feldversuche 2015/16)

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.