Capsicums are sitting at $16.38/kg this week. Three weeks ago I had them logged at $11.24/kg. That’s a 45.7% jump on the same vegetable, and the spread across retailers has gone wider than the spike itself.
Here’s what I’m seeing on Brisbane shelves this week: Aldi at $9.11/kg, Coles at $14.78/kg, Woolworths at $25.60/kg. That’s a 181% gap on the same capsicum depending on which carpark you pull into. The trend usually runs national, so I expect the gap shows up in your city too. If a kilo a week is your habit, the shop you pick is the difference between $474 and $1,331 over a year. I keep the full retailer price tracker updated weekly if you want to see where the gap sits in your aisle.
The cause is simple. Capsicums hate the cold snap that’s just rolled through the southern growing regions, and the back end of autumn is always the thin patch before winter glasshouse stock catches up. The cool-down through Dayboro and the southeast is the same weather pattern I’m watching thin out capsicum supply down south. Supply tightens, the cheapest retailer wins by a long way, and the dearest one quietly stops discounting.
Sourcing Now
Aldi at $9.11 is the only retailer I’d touch below the 23-day baseline. If capsicum is on your weekly list, that’s the aisle. Woolworths at $25.60 is over the 7-day mean by a fair bit, which is unusual even in a spike week, so I’d skip it for capsicum this fortnight.
If you have a freezer, this is also a good week to grab a kilo at Aldi prices, dice and freeze. I do this myself when a staple spikes. Capsicum freezes well for cooked dishes. You lose the crunch, you keep the flavour.
Growing Your Own
Capsicums need warmth and a long season. They don’t rush, and neither do I when I plant them.
Subtropical (Brisbane, northern NSW, Perth coastal): you can sow seed now, October through to December. Transplant when nights stay above 15°C. Plants set fruit through summer and into autumn. In my own bed a single healthy plant gives 1.5 to 2.5 kg over a season. At this week’s mean, that’s $25 to $40 per plant, off a $4 punnet. My cheapest veggies to grow at home list ranks capsicum near the top for return per square metre.
Cool temperate (Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Adelaide hills): start seed indoors in August or September, transplant after the last frost in late October or November. The season is shorter, so pick early-fruiting varieties like Yolo Wonder or Mini Sweet. Expect 1 to 1.5 kg per plant. Black plastic mulch is worth the trouble. It lifts soil temperature by two or three degrees.
Tropical (Cairns, Darwin, Townsville): grow in the dry season, April through September. Wet-season humidity invites rot.
A six-plant bed run by a careful gardener returns about $200 of capsicum a season. I reckon the only hard part is keeping the fruit fly off the ripening fruit.
