Pepper & Basil with a Lettuce Pre-crop
Peppers and basil share the warm bed after an early lettuce crop has used the spring.
Season timeline
- Start peppers indoors
- Direct-sow the lettuce pre-crop
- Start basil indoors
- Harvest the lettuce
- Plant out peppers and basil
- Clear the remaining lettuce
- Pick basil all summer
- Harvest peppers
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Start peppers indoorsFeb–Mar
Peppers grow slowly; sow them in pots in a warm, bright spot as early as February.
- Direct-sow the lettuce pre-cropMar–Apr
Sow lettuce in rows across the still-empty bed as soon as the soil is workable.
- Start basil indoorsApr
Sow basil in pots in April; it needs only a few weeks to reach planting size.
- Harvest the lettuceMay–Jun
Cut the heads as they firm up, starting where the peppers will be planted.
- Plant out peppers and basilMay–Jun
After the last frost, plant peppers into the cleared spots and basil into the gaps between them.
- Clear the remaining lettuceJun
Remove the last heads before they bolt so the peppers get the whole bed.
- Pick basil all summerJun–Sep
Pinch whole shoot tips regularly; the plants branch and keep producing.
- Harvest peppersJul–Oct
Pick the first fruits green to speed up ripening of the rest, then harvest as they colour.
- Clear the bedOct
Remove the spent plants before hard frosts and compost healthy foliage.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red capsicum | Red capsicum: Jul | Red capsicum: Aug | Red capsicum: Sep | Red capsicum: Oct | ||||||||
| Basil | Basil: Jun | Basil: Jul | Basil: Aug | Basil: Sep | ||||||||
| Garden lettuce | Garden lettuce: May | Garden lettuce: Jun |
The bed over the season
- Red capsicum · Sowing
- Red capsicum · Harvest
- Basil · Sowing
- Basil · Harvest
- Garden lettuce · Sowing
- Garden lettuce · Harvest
Why this combination works
Peppers need a long, warm season but occupy the bed only from mid-May. An early direct-sown lettuce uses the empty weeks of spring and is cleared just as the peppers need the space. Basil thrives in the same warm, sheltered conditions as peppers, fills the gaps between plants, shades the soil and keeps it moist.
Tips
Peppers dislike cold nights, so wait until after the last frost before planting out. Harvest the first fruits early to push the plant into further flowering. Pick basil from the top by whole shoot tips, never strip single leaves off the stem.