How to grow chilli plants in New Zealand

Best time to plant chillies in New Zealand

• Sow: September to October
• Plant: October to November
• Harvest: January to April

Chilli plant varieties to grow

Depending on your spice preference, some of the best chilli plants to grow in New Zealand include:

Carolina Reaper – Intensely hot

Habanero – Extra hot

Bird Eye – Quite hot

Cayenne - Hot

Jalapeno – Moderately hot

Anaheim – Mild heat

Grow your plant

Step 1

Sow seeds in a small pot or seed raising tray as per seed packet sowing instructions, into a quality seed raising mix such as Scotts Osmocote Seed Raising and Cutting Mix. Water mix well before sowing seed.

Step 2

Cover seed lightly and water well. Keep seed moist, but not wet. Germination can be improved by placing a sheet of glass over the seed tray or a clear plastic cover over the pot. Place in a warm sunny spot and remove cover once seeds germinate.

Step 3

Once seedlings have two true leaves, or are 6-7cm high, prick them out of the seed tray or pot and transplant into 10cm pots filled with Scotts Osmocote Premium Potting Mix.

Step 4

Grow seedlings until they're 10-15cm high and are ready to plant out. 

If planting in the garden harden seedlings off for 7-10 days by placing the pots outside during the day and bringing in at night. Do this with glasshouse raised seedlings as well to reduce transplant shock.

Tips

Plant in sunny sheltered spot. Chilli plants are frost tender, so plant outside in the garden once the risk of frost has passed.

Some of the hotter varieties will take longer to germinate and require more heat during germination. Place them in a glasshouse or on a sunny windowsill to improve germination.

Planting in the garden

Step 1

Plant into garden beds prepared with Scotts Osmocote Premium Potting Mix.

Step 2

Soak plants in a bucket until the bubbles stop rising. Drain before planting. 

Step 3

Dig a hole twice the diameter of the root ball and place the chilli seedling in the centre of the hole. Back fill and firm mix in around the plant. 

Plant to a depth the same level as it was in the original pot.

Step 4

Stake plants at the time of planting. Pinch out the growing tips and side shoots to encourage flowering when plants are 15-20cm tall.

Planting in pots and containers 

Step 1

Select a pot with good drainage holes. Part fill with Scotts Osmocote Premium Potting Mix.

Step 2

Before planting, soak seedlings in a bucket of water until the bubbles stop rising and drain. 

Step 3

Place the plant in the centre of the pot and start filling, firming as you go until the mix is 3cm from the top of the pot. Plant to a depth the same level as it was in the original pot. Tap the pot to settle the mix and water well.

Step 4

Place the plant in a sunny sheltered spot. Stake at the time of planting and pinch out the growing tips to encourage flowering when 15-20cm tall. Water regularly throughout the growing season.

Tips 

To bring out the heat in intensely hot chilli varieties grow them in a glasshouse.

The hotter the variety the longer the growing process will take (from germination through to ripening), so bear this in mind when selecting your preferred type and start them inside earlier (July).

Plant care

• Plant in a sheltered sunny spot. 
• Once flowers appear feed every 2-4 weeks with Scotts Osmocote® Controlled Release Fertiliser: Vegetable, Tomato, Herb & Garden Beds.

Harvesting

Pick the chillis as needed once it they have reached a good size. You can either pick them when they're green when the flavour is quite mild or leave them on the plants until they have turned red, which develops a stronger, hotter flavour.

Harvest your chillies by snipping the top of the stalk with sharp secateurs. Frequent harvesting of the fruits allows the plant to devote its energies to developing more fruit.

Chillies can be dried or frozen for later use.