Best time to plant chilli in Melbourne
Capsicum species
Also called chili, chile, chili pepper
Sow chilli in Melbourne in Sep to Nov.
Prized for their heat, chillies are the fruit of Capsicum plants in the nightshade family, used as a spice across many cuisines. Capsaicin and related compounds create the burn, and both heat and flavour differ widely between types. These plants trace back to Central or South America.
When to sow in Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. Its months for chilli apply here without a frost adjustment.
Broadly matches local guides, with some differences.
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Frost in Melbourne
Frost usually arrives in Melbourne around mid June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.
From the average of its 2 Bureau of Meteorology stations, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.
On a shared plot: suits a plot
Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.
Growing details
- How to start
- Raise seedlings, then transplant
- Sowing depth
- 6mm
- Plant spacing
- 38-45cm
- Row spacing
- 100cm
- Germination
- 5-21 days
- Time to harvest
- 70 days from planting out
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- perennial, grown as an annual in cool climates
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.