Growing Chillies

[grab my graupel]

Just wondering whether anyone on the forum can give me some tips on growing my own chillies? Basically, I'd like to know which are the best varieties and when to plant etc.

I'm looking for something reasonably hot - but not so hot that they'll have nasty side effects

Thanks

Brian

[MAF]

Just wondering whether anyone on the forum can give me some tips on growing my own chillies? Basically, I'd like to know which are the best varieties and when to plant etc.

I'm looking for something reasonably hot - but not so hot that they'll have nasty side effects

Thanks

Brian

sorry brian, although i like scotch bonnet chilies i am unsure how to grow them. but i do know Hemlock knows all about nasty side affects

try here mate > http://www.chilefarm.co.uk/

[mezzacyclone]

If you prefer to wait instead of propogating your own then checkout Netto stores from April onwards!

I picked a red chillie plant up last year for about £3? which after larger pot transplant got me about 50 fruits right up to November,

some were a good 3inch and were quite hot,

Weekly nitrogen potash feed and a warm sheltered south facing elevated spot also helped

Its dormant in the shed now and looks ok as it has not died to ground level.

Great site find "MAF" ;}

Edited January 20, 2010 by mezzacyclone

[jethro]

Morning Brian,

That's a great link from Maf, you'd be hard pushed to find a better selection of seeds anywhere else.

Growing wise - don't be put off by their instructions for bottom heat, temps in the 80's for germination - it's not vital. I've grown them for many years, sown in an unheated greenhouse, no bottom heat; they germinate fine but slowly (bottom heat just speeds it up a bit).

Feeding - once you've got a decent sized plant and they're beginning to flower, switch from a general purpose like Miracle Grow to a Tomato feed like Tomerite. There after, treat as you would Tomatoes for watering/feeding.

They're usually pest free, occassionally getting aphids. Disease wise - prone to rot if planted too close together, they need good air circulation.

[MAF]

we are a bit of chili junkies here in work. always looking out for the hottest ones. the chili oils and sauces are great for adding to food. but some of them can really blow your head off. we once invested in a bottle of the really really really hot stuff and experimented with 3 drops of the stuff in a pot noodle took a while to recover, i can tell you

[grab my graupel]

Thanks for your tips everyone. From what you all say, it seems that Chillies aren't too difficult to grow, so I shall give it a try.

Mick, thanks for that link, it's exactly what I needed mate.

Do you have shares in Andrex, by the way?

[Azores Hi]

My tip is, pick fresh ones as they ripen but at the end of the summer, you may find that you have a large number of unripened fruit. Stop watering when the plant stops actively growing at let the fruit ripen and dry on the plant. You can even cut the plant of at the base of the stem and hang it in the airing cupboard. What you end up with is lovely sundried chillies which have an intense rich flavour.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Azores Hi

[grab my graupel]

Thank AH, much appreciated

I was wondering, should I end up with more chillies than I can consume, would it be ok to pop them in the freezer?

[Guest North Sea Snow Convection]

I grew chillies (amongst other veg and herbs) last summer in my sheltered courtyard. I used tomato plant based food plus old aquarium water from my fish tanks (nitrate rich!). Got a bumper crop of fat red chillies and still have some of the harvest left now after using loads and giving some away to friends too

[grab my graupel]

I grew chillies (amongst other veg and herbs) last summer in my sheltered courtyard. I used tomato plant based food plus old aquarium water from my fish tanks (nitrate rich!). Got a bumper crop of fat red chillies and still have some of the harvest left now after using loads and giving some away to friends too

Hi Tamara, hope you're well :lol: I hadn't realised that they were so easy to grow - I always assumed that a greenhouse would

be necessary in order to grow them successfully over here. I had a go at growing a selection of vegetables last year, but

before I got the chance to harvest them, the Rabbits ate almost everything. They'd been making tunnels into my garden We must have the healthiest Rabbits in North Yorkshire.

[Azores Hi]

Thank AH, much appreciated

I was wondering, should I end up with more chillies than I can consume, would it be ok to pop them in the freezer?

Can't say I've tried it, but it's worth a go with a small amount and see what thy are like when defrosted. But if I was you I would use a needle and thread and string them up andd hang them in the airing cupboard. Thats what I do and they make a nice decration hanging in the kitchen.

This tear I also preserved them in little bottles of olive oil, which with an addition of a bay leaf looked very festive and I gave them away as xmas pressies! You can also pickle them.

[grab my graupel]

Can't say I've tried it, but it's worth a go with a small amount and see what thy are like when defrosted. But if I was you I would use a needle and thread and string them up andd hang them in the airing cupboard. Thats what I do and they make a nice decration hanging in the kitchen.

This tear I also preserved them in little bottles of olive oil, which with an addition of a bay leaf looked very festive and I gave them away as xmas pressies! You can also pickle them.

Thanks AH the airing cupboard in this house, which is really old, is cold and damp, so I'm not too sure

whether it would be adequate. I love the olive oil Idea, however, so I'll definitely try that one should my chillies grow successfully.

[Guest North Sea Snow Convection]

Hi Tamara, hope you're well I hadn't realised that they were so easy to grow - I always assumed that a greenhouse would

be necessary in order to grow them successfully over here. I had a go at growing a selection of vegetables last year, but

before I got the chance to harvest them, the Rabbits ate almost everything. They'd been making tunnels into my garden We must have the healthiest Rabbits in North Yorkshire.

Hello Brian - nice to speak again

Yes chillies are easy to grow. I do have a couple of small plastic framed greenhouses that the more tender plants like chillies can go into if the weather is not suitable, but generally in the summer months if they have a sheltered wall or enclosed area they can be placed into, they will do very well indeed with regualr feeding and watering. The key is to not let them dry out, but like a lot of plants etc, not to waterlog them either.

With exposure to any sun going, you should get good growth of the plants and a decent crop of chillies. From the small shrub that my plant grew into, I had a really good supply. They have lovely flavour and are decently hot without being too overpowering. Have used them in curries and a variety of other chilli dishes as well as being really good for salads, salsas and relishes too

There is quite a lot of wildlife in my own garden (no rabbits lol!) but I do have badgers and foxes. The badgers have dug tunnels at the bottom of the garden a few times!

However, they don't appear to have a liking for chillies!

The little greenhouses, such as I got from B&Q are not expensive, are easy even for a divvy like me to put up, plus they offer protection from animals and pests - slugs can be the biggest pain, especially with the recent wet summers we have had.

Edited January 22, 2010 by North Sea Snow Convection

[grab my graupel]

Hi Tamara, nice to speak to you too

It's sound like chillies do very well my garden as it's South facing and becomes quite a suntrap during the summer months.

I've read that Chillies have many health benefits, including cancer prevention, so it would be good to have a regular supply of them. I don't know whether my body is telling me that I'm lacking something, but I seem to have a craving for Chillies at the moment.

[peterf]

Just wondering whether anyone on the forum can give me some tips on growing my own chillies? Basically, I'd like to know which are the best varieties and when to plant etc.

I'm looking for something reasonably hot - but not so hot that they'll have nasty side effects :unsure:

Thanks

Brian

hi Brian,ive been growing chillis for years now.they are very easy once you get into the swing of things.

iv'e a mate in Darlington who is a leading expert on all things chilli related,thousand of varietys to choose from.and there's one to suit everyones taste.

his name is Mark and he's a very nice chap,this is his website.good luck peter.

http://www.thechileman.org/

you can contact him direct here thechileman@hotmail.co.uk

Edited January 23, 2010 by peterf

[grab my graupel]

hi Brian,ive been growing chillis for years now.they are very easy once you get into the swing of things.

iv'e a mate in Darlington who is a leading expert on all things chilli related,thousand of varietys to choose from.and there's one to suit everyones taste.

his name is Mark and he's a very nice chap,this is his website.good luck peter.

http://www.thechileman.org/

you can contact him direct here thechileman@hotmail.co.uk

Excellent Pete, thank you for that :unsure:

[peterf]

Excellent Pete, thank you for that :unsure:

if you contact him brian,tell him what kind of heat your are after.he sells seed also,keep away from the nagas they are lethal lol.

[microclimate]

I've just sown my chillies last week but I've got propagators and a heated polytunnel so I can get away with an early sowing. Small propagators are relatively cheap these days and last for donkeys years so it's worth investing in one as you'll much better germination rates and uniformity of size rather than them emerging over a longer period.

I tried a new variety last year, Bulgarian Carrot. They actually look like carrots hanging of the plant even down to little lines on them and, by god are they hot! I sell plants and I fear I might have misled a few people as to how hot they were.

[grab my graupel]

if you contact him brian,tell him what kind of heat your are after.he sells seed also,keep away from the nagas they are lethal lol.

Hi Pete

How would you describe heat mate? is there some sort of scale available. :unsure:

[peterf]

i normally overwinter any plants that are prolific.a lot of people buy new each year,but it's worth overwintering to get that early start.also cutting material in abundance.

Hi Pete

How would you describe heat mate? is there some sort of scale available. :unsure:

yip it's known as the scoville scale Brian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

[grab my graupel]

I've just sown my chillies last week but I've got propagators and a heated polytunnel so I can get away with an early sowing. Small propagators are relatively cheap these days and last for donkeys years so it's worth investing in one as you'll much better germination rates and uniformity of size rather than them emerging over a longer period.

I tried a new variety last year, Bulgarian Carrot. They actually look like carrots hanging of the plant even down to little lines on them and, by god are they hot! I sell plants and I fear I might have misled a few people as to how hot they were.

Those chillies sound fantasic, I wouldn't giving them a try. It would be quite interesting watching them grow as, I guess, they'd be very ornamental too.

i normally overwinter any plants that are prolific.a lot of people buy new each year,but it's worth overwintering to get that early start.also cutting material in abundance.

yip it's known as the scoville scale Brian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

I see why you suggested I should stay clear of the Naga variety