Chillies

[Guest]

Hi all, I am new to this forum.

I was wondering if I could get some advice on growing chillies.

I have never grown them before and was wondering whether you could recommend some varieties, preferably not too spicy, although growing a few habaneros might be fun!

With regard to growing them, when should I start sowing and are they difficult? And do they grow well in pots?

Any tips and where to source seed would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Tim

[sandersj89]

Chillies are one of the easiest veg to grow but like it fairly warm so are ideal in a greenhouse. You can grow them outside but the yield may be smaller and they may not fullt ripen to red but that is not a big deal.

Sow now in compost, either a tray or pot, germination takes about 2 to 3 weeks at about 16 degrees celcius.

Prick out into 4" pots and grow on until they are ready to go in their main pot. I grow them in posts of all sizes but a minimum of 8 to 10 inch.

Keep them just moist and feed every two weeks with a tomato feed.

Few pest problems but white fly and aphids can be a problem, easily sorted.

As for seeds, all the main seed companies do them and there are a few chillie specialists such as Chillies Galore:

http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/

There are loads of varieties but if you want a mild type try Hungarian Hot Wax, a large chillie that is not very hot and it is easy to grow.

HTH

Jerry

[Chantal]

Wow Jerry, what a fabulous website! Thanks

[Geoff]

I agree - my diary says I am sowing them in the propagator this weekend. I sow them in those small pots just over an inch that you can put a lot of in a carrier tray. Germination is a bit variable so it makes it easier to deal with them as they come up without disturbing the others or having to leave the quick ones in to get leggy. A good fleshy fairly mild one is Jalapeno Giant.
I find Chillies pretty easy but I'm not as successful with Sweet Peppers, anybody got any special hints for those?

[Chantal]

Jerry

I've just spent the last hour on the Chillies Galore website reading recipes, growing tips, you name it. I daren't look at your other list yet. Life's too short! Thanks

[cevenol jardin]

Best Variety i have tried is 'cayenne' tough, vigorous and matures quickly. I get 2 big baskets full each year from only 6 plants. Cayenne have long fruits 7-8cm curved at the ends. Red when mature.They dry very well, make excellent chilli oil, crushed chilli flakes and chilli pastes. I also string them and give them to friends as they look great in the kitchen.
The how too, i agree with others on germination etc. Here are my tips on growing. They are easy they just need protection. I can grow them outside in a south facing hot spot. When planting out (after hardening off)a good tip is to lay flat stones at the base of the plant the stones soak up the sun in the day and radiate it back to the plant at night, keep them from getting a shock as the night temp drops. Remove the stones when everything has warmed up enough.
The other thing to do, if its a dry year, is to plant in holes filled with a little compost and manure mixed into the soil and make sure the soil surface is lower than surrounding in order to water to the plants and maintain moisture, especially when in flower as they need the water most then. Mulch also works. Feed regularly through the growing season with a weak liquid fertilizer, i use home made 'black jack'(nettles/comfry, bonfire soot and cow dung suspended in sack in a water butt) keep soil evenly moist and spray liquid seaweed fertiliser monthly during growing season. I now use seeds saved from the previous year so that each year i get better plants and a better harvest as the seeds come from the plant that did best, natural selection.
SWEET PEPPERS
I treat sweet peppers the same way, but I also have had trouble growing them: not managed to get mature fruits in 3 years of trying to grow 'Corno di Toro Rosso' got huge fruit but only a few got red most stayed green before the frosts hit and 'Big Banana F1' which bore miserable little pale green fruit. The real winner for me was 'Giallo d’Asti'i got the seeds from http://www.seedsofitaly.com.These mature yellow and are absolutely delicious, thick sweet flesh and mature very quickly. From a march sowing transplanted in May came through yellow in late summer with plenty of time for all fruits to mature. Apart from the right cultivar i find that i really need to sow in Jan/Feb to get mature plants ready to set out as soon as possible.
Note on my climate i garden in southern France but in the mountains with min temps of -15 winters with earlier springs but prone to snap freezing due to winds in spring then heating up running to arid dry in summer. Its a battle even with chillies and peppers who really suffered in the dry heat this year july.
If you, in england, can get get the planys up and strong undercover to plant out late May at flowering stage you could be onto a winner with enough weeks to get mature fruit.
I have stacks of cayenne chilli seeds if you would like some to try.
Best of luck

[Tigger]

Welcome Cevenol Gardin, You'll find a few chillie experts on this site, so I'm sure there will be a queue for your seed offer.

It's interesting that you find chillies easy to grow and peppers more difficult. I grow my peppers in an unheated tunnel and last year they kept fruiting until November.

Like Chantal - I found the chilli website that Jerry listed very useful.