Crops › Chilli Pepper (Medium)
How to grow Chilli Pepper (Medium)
in the UK
Sow January to March, plant out April to June, harvest July to October. About 90 days from seed to plate.
Chilli peppers, proper cracking things to grow, aren't they? They add a lovely bit of warmth to your cooking, even on a chilly North East day, you know what I mean. Not too tricky once you get 'em going, and there's a real chuffed feeling when you pick your first one.
Sowing
Right, get your chilli seeds going indoors, nice and early, from January right through to March. They need warmth, like I say in the app, about 18-25°C is spot on for germination. A heated propagator or a warm spot near a radiator works a treat, or even a warm airing cupboard. Sow them about 5mm deep in small pots or seed trays, then cover lightly with compost. If you've got grow lights, they'll really help stop them getting leggy, especially in those dark winter months up here.
Growing on
Once they've got a couple of true leaves, carefully prick them out into individual 9cm pots. Keep them warm, minimum 15°C, on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse. Around late May, once all risk of frost has well and truly passed here in the North East, you can start thinking about hardening them off. Gradually get them used to being outside over a week or two, then plant them out into larger pots, grow bags, or directly into the greenhouse border.
Looking after it
Keep your plants well-watered, especially when they're flowering and setting fruit. A weekly feed with a tomato fertiliser once the first fruits appear will make a real difference. Pinch out the growing tips when the plant is about 20-30cm tall, that'll encourage it to bush out nicely and give you more chillies in the long run.
What goes wrong
To be honest, the main things to watch out for are aphids, red spider mite, and whitefly, especially if they're in a greenhouse. Keep an eye on the undersides of the leaves, like I always say. A good spray with soapy water can often sort out aphids. Companion planting with basil or onions can help deter some of the nasties too, or just check them regular.
Harvest
You'll be picking your first chillies about 90 days after sowing, from July onwards, right up to October. They're ready when they've reached their full size and colour, usually red, but some varieties stay yellow or orange. Just snip them off with a sharp knife or secateurs. Store them in the fridge, dry them, or even freeze them for later, they keep cracking.
I always sow a few extra, just in case, then you've got some spares for the cold frame or a friend if your main greenhouse plants get a bit poorly.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Jalapeño This is a proper classic, that medium heat Mexican pepper everyone knows. Dead easy to grow and brilliant for adding a bit of a kick to your dinners. | No club votes yet |
| Hungarian Hot Wax These are lovely, yellow banana-shaped chillies with a nice medium heat. They look cracking in a salad and are pretty vigorous growers. | No club votes yet |
| Serrano A small but mighty Mexican pepper, definitely hotter than a Jalapeño. If you like a bit more zing, these are the ones for you. | No club votes yet |
| Apache F1 This one's a cracking choice if you're short on space, a compact dwarf plant. Perfect for a patio pot or a sunny windowsill. | No club votes yet |
| Ring of Fire A medium heat cayenne type, these produce loads of long, slender red chillies. Proper good for drying and making your own chilli flakes. | No club votes yet |
| Basket of Fire This is a beautiful ornamental dwarf chilli, absolutely covered in colourful fruits. Looks dead impressive in a hanging basket or a pot. | No club votes yet |
| Fresno Similar to a Jalapeño but with a lovely fruity flavour, these are a bit special. Great for salsas and fresh eating, proper tasty. | No club votes yet |
| Poblano (Red) This is the mature red version of the Poblano, which means it's got even more heat. Brilliant for stuffing or making a rich chilli sauce. | No club votes yet |
| Espelette A cracking French Basque pepper, known for its mild, smoky flavour. Not too hot, just a lovely warmth for cooking. | No club votes yet |
| Aji Amarillo This Peruvian yellow pepper has a unique fruity flavour and a decent kick. Dead popular in South American cooking, well worth a try. | No club votes yet |
| Guajillo A classic Mexican chilli, primarily grown for drying. If you're into making your own chilli powders or pastes, this is the one. | No club votes yet |
| Prairie Fire Another lovely ornamental variety, but this one's got a proper medium heat to it. Looks great in a pot and you can still eat the chillies. | No club votes yet |
| Mirasol A Guajillo type, producing lovely red chillies that are great for drying. You'll get a good crop off these, perfect for the larder. | No club votes yet |
| NuMex Big Jim These are proper big chillies, with a mild to medium heat. Great for roasting or stuffing, you get a good bit of flesh on them. | No club votes yet |
| Aji Cristal A beautiful Colombian orange pepper, known for its crisp texture and fruity, medium heat. Fantastic fresh in salads or salsas. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
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Cook the harvest
This is not a shakshuka where the chilli is just a background note — here six medium chillies are sliced and cooked down until they become sweet, jammy and almost saucy, forming the backbone of the tomato base alongside ripe summer tomatoes. The eggs poach directly in the sauce and the feta on top melts at the edges into salty pockets. It works brilliantly for brunch or a quick weeknight supper.
30 min · easyThese are the noodles you make when you want something genuinely satisfying in under half an hour. Fresh medium chillies are fried low and slow in oil to build a fragrant, burnished base, then tossed through noodles with garlic and a punchy soy dressing. The crispy shallots on top are worth every minute — they take ten minutes to make and make the whole dish.
30 min · easyA Spanish-style tortilla where medium chillies are cooked slowly into the olive oil alongside the potatoes, infusing every layer with gentle heat and fruity depth. This is a proper, thick tortilla — golden outside, just-set in the middle — built around a generous quantity of fresh chillies that give the dish its backbone. Eat warm or at room temperature, in wedges with a sharp green salad alongside.
30 min · easyA deeply spiced minced lamb curry where medium chillies provide steady, building heat alongside warm whole spices and sweet garden peas. This is proper weeknight keema — deeply savoury, quick to cook, and the kind of thing you will want to eat straight from the pan with flatbreads or rice. The chillies are fried early to bloom their flavour into the oil, making them impossible to treat as an afterthought.
30 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: basil, onions, tomatoes
Questions people ask
When do you sow Chilli Pepper (Medium) in the UK?
Sow Chilli Pepper (Medium) from January to March. Plant out April to June, after the last frost.
How long does Chilli Pepper (Medium) take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 90 days, with the harvest July to October.
Which Chilli Pepper (Medium) varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Jalapeño, Hungarian Hot Wax, Serrano, Apache F1 and more.
Track your Chilli Pepper (Medium) from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.