When to sow Chilli pepper in the UK
Across the UK the first sowing of chilli pepper falls 9 weeks apart — early January in the mildest areas, early March in the coldest. That gap is why a single national sowing date is wrong for almost everybody.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Timings below are adjusted from the midlands and lowland wales baseline using Met Office average last and first frost dates for each area.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early January to late February | mid April to early May | early June to mid September |
| South Coast and Channel | early January to early March | late April to mid May | mid June to mid September |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early January to late February | mid April to early May | early June to mid September |
| South East and Home Counties | mid January to late March | early May to late May | late June to early October |
| East Anglia | late January to late March | mid May to early June | early July to early October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late January to early April | late May to mid June | mid July to mid October |
| Wales and West Coast | mid January to late March | early May to late May | late June to early October |
| Northern England | early February to mid April | late May to mid June | mid July to late October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | mid February to mid April | early June to late June | late July to late October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to early May | late June to mid July | mid August to late November |
| Northern Ireland | late January to late March | mid May to early June | early July to early October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early January to late February | mid April to early May | late May to early September |
About the earliest indoor dates
The indoor sowing dates shift with your local last frost, because that is what decides when the seedling can go outside. Under glass, though, the limiting factor is daylight rather than frost. In the mildest regions the table pulls this sowing back into midwinter, and a UK windowsill in January has neither the light nor the day length to raise a sturdy plant — you get pale, drawn seedlings that never catch up. Unless you are growing under supplementary lighting, treat mid February as the practical earliest sowing for chilli pepper however mild your area.
Growing notes
Sow indoors from late winter (February is the safe deadline for hot, slow-ripening varieties) in a heated propagator, and keep plants indoors until at least late May. Sowing in April is the classic UK mistake: the fruit then never has time to ripen and change colour.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 40 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 45 cm
- Plants per m²
- 6
- Days to maturity
- 140 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.6 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- Yes — do not plant out until after the last frost
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 10 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 5 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- aphids
- grey mould
- glasshouse red spider mite
- glasshouse whitefly
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for chilli pepper.