Chilli Season

Chillies are a warm-season crop available fresh from December through to April, with Queensland supplying the bulk of the national harvest year-round. Peak supply arrives in summer when subtropical growing conditions are at their best. Outside the main season, fresh chillies are still around. Queensland's climate means production never fully stops, but volumes are thinner and you're more likely to find a smaller range of varieties.

Chillies are in season across summer and autumn in Australia, with peak supply from December to May.

Chillies belong to the Capsicum genus and are close relatives of capsicums, tomatoes and eggplant. According to the AUSVEG guide on growing capsicums and chillies, optimum fruit set happens between 16°C and 21°C, with best development at night temperatures of 15–17°C and days of 24–30°C. They're semi-perennial in tropical and subtropical climates but grown as annuals where cold weather kills the plant. Most commercial crops use trickle irrigation and polythene mulch, with seedlings transplanted 8–10 weeks from seed and fruit ready 10–15 weeks after transplanting. The most heat is concentrated in the cross-walls and pith near the seeds, and smaller red fruit tends to be the most pungent.

Chillies originated in Central and South America and arrived in Australia with European settlement. Queensland has long been the dominant producing state, with the crop concentrated in the coastal strip from South East Queensland northward. WA runs two distinct windows. The Perth Metropolitan Area peaks in summer and autumn, and Carnarvon in winter and spring, a handover that keeps WA supply relatively consistent across the year, as the AUSVEG guide on growing capsicums and chillies outlines. Victoria and NSW contribute smaller volumes peaking in summer.

According to Hort Innovation, Australia produced 2,284 tonnes of chillies worth $11.7 million at the farm gate in 2024/25, stable in a 2,000–2,300 tonne range since 2014/15. Queensland accounts for around 72% of national production, WA 21% and Victoria 5%. AUSVEG Veggie Stats found production rose 17.2% between 2008-09 and 2013-14 while gross value grew over 300%, with Queensland's industry growing more than 4.5 times in value over the same period. Fresh imports are minimal at 13 tonnes in 2024/25 and exports are around 21 tonnes.