🌶️ Bird's Eye Chilli farming in Zimbabwe
A small-area, high-value export crop. Contracted by processors for dried pods and oleoresin, with several picks per plant over 2–3 years.
- Season / planting window
- Nursery Jul – Sep, transplant Sep – Nov; first picking about 4 months later and picking continues for up to 2 years.
- Best regions
- Warm areas of Regions II–IV — Mutoko, Murewa, Rusape, Chipinge, Gokwe, Binga and the lowveld with irrigation.
- Spacing / population
- 1 m between rows x 0.5 m in-row ≈ 20 000 plants/ha (some contracts use 0.9 x 0.45 m).
- Expected yield
- 1.5–3 t/ha dry pods per year with good management and irrigation; 0.8 t/ha dryland.
Stage by stage
Nursery
6 – 8 weeks
- Sow in trays or a raised, sterilised seedbed; 300–500 g seed plants a hectare.
- Cover lightly with fine soil and shade with grass or shade cloth.
- Water twice daily; drench weekly against damping off.
- Harden off for 7–10 days by reducing water and removing shade before transplanting.
Fertiliser and chemicals
- FertiliserCompound S (7:21:7) or Compound C basal
500–700 kg/ha · Worked into the ridge before transplant
- FertiliserAmmonium nitrate
300–400 kg/ha split in 3–4 · 3, 6, 10 weeks and after each heavy picking flush
Field tip
Secure a contract before planting. Bird's eye chilli is an export crop — processors supply seed and buy dried pods at a fixed grade and price.
The rest of this bird's eye chilli guide
- 6 more stages, from land preparation through to storage
- 12 more fertiliser, herbicide, pesticide and fungicide entries with rates
- All field tips, plus the printable and downloadable version
- Your own crop, cost and activity records in the FarmInvest app
Full farming cycle guides
Free and complete — land, equipment, crops, inputs and harvest.