A bushy annual to around 60cm in height, with small, ovate, mid-green leaves and a lots of branches. White flowers from the leaf axils in summer produce long, red edible fruits with a very hot flavour, which can be dried after harvesting or used to make cayenne pepper
0.5-1 metres
0.1-0.5 metres
| Season | Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | ||||
| Summer | ||||
| Autumn | ||||
| Winter |
Best grown inside on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse, but can be grown outside once all danger of frost has passed; select a sunny, sheltered position and grow in containers, growing bags or in open ground. Water regularly and feed with a high-potassium, liquid fertiliser once the first fruit has set. See how to grow: chilli peppers for further cultivation details
Propagate by seed in late winter to early spring. See sowing vegetable seeds for further advice
No pruning required; pinch out growing tips of plants when they are about 20cm tall to encourage bushiness
May be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite
May be susceptible to grey moulds, tobacco mosaic virus