Growing chillies

A diary for the season

This category is a series of posts giving a step-by-step account of what happens in a typical season of growing Chillies in the UK. It begins with the selection and planting of seeds, and will end (after harvesting) with the preparation of some plants for overwintering.

All aspects of growing Chillies will be covered. Various mediums and methods of propagating seeds, including Rockwell cubes, peat pellets, paper towel germination and hydroponics, will be examined. The success or failure achieved with each medium or method will be described.

Once the seeds have germinated, posts will provide advice on how the seedlings should be taken care of. Other posts will describe the first potting on stage that will need to be done once the plants reach a certain size. Information will also cover what precautions should be taken to protect the young plants against unwanted pests like fungus gnats and aphids.

Once the plants have outgrown their first pots, the posts will go into the preparation of the compost that they will be transplanted into. Later in the season, when it gets warm enough outside to place the plants outdoors, the posts will describe how the plants should be prepared for outside exposure.

The next posts will then describe how the plants have been taken care of. This will include any obstacles that have been encountered including pests, weather conditions and anything else that may happen.

Fertilizers and nutrients will be discussed, and the outcomes that are achieved by using specific products. This will include which fertilizers and nutrients to use at each stage in the Chilli plants’ development.

From there, the blooming of the plants, pollination and the arrival of the first Chillies of the season will be covered. Their progression to full sized fruit and harvesting will also be discussed.

The series will then end with information of how the harvested Chillies have been used to make hot sauces, jams, chutneys and various other dishes. The final posts will also go into how seeds should be prepared and stored for next year’s planting season and how a few select plants will choose for overwintering.

How get rid of fungus gnats

CGS Growing chillies 18th January 202212th July 2024 0 Comment

Getting rid of the gnats

No matter how much I try, I am just not able to get rid of fungus gnats completely. I have used various methods to control them, but somehow, they just keep reappearing. Not only are these little pests annoying, but they can also carry diseases like Pythium to seedlings. Pythium can be a real killer, particularly if seedlings share a common source of water. It can knock off a whole batch of seedlings in no time at all

As I have just started a lot of seeds for the 2022 Chili growing season, the time has come to tackle fungus gnats once and for all. I will use my existing methods to limit their numbers, but I also want to find ways to get rid of them forever. To do that, I will be doing a little research

Before doing that, however, the question needs to be asked. Just what are fungus gnats? They are the little black flies you will see hovering around flowerpots in doors, when plants have been overwatered. These little two-to-three-millimetre flies are also known as sciarid flies. They lay their eggs in wet compost or potting soil. When their larvae hatch, they feed on the fungus that develops when soil is too wet. While it is unlikely that the larvae will harm the roots of seedlings, they post the biggest risk when they grow into adult flies. It is then they are known to carry pathogens like Pythium (which causes damping off) on their feet. They transfer the disease when they fly from plant to plant

Soaking seeds. Is it necessary?

CGS Growing chillies 17th January 202225th July 2024 0 Comment

Speeding up germination

As with many things in growing Chillies, you will find different schools of thought on various subjects. The soaking of seeds to improve germination is no exception. There are views on how long the seeds need to be soaked for, what liquid they should be soaked in, and a whole lot more. To try and figure out what the real truth is, I thought I would do some research.

The first question I wanted to be answered is, is soaking seed necessary at all? According to much of my research, probably not. Seeds can be started successfully, without pre-soaking them. However, pre-soaking definitely improves Chilli growing. It speeds up sprouting and germination rates. And this is not just for any old reason. Soaking seeds emulates what happens in the wild.

In the first place, Chillies have a built-in inhibitor that prevents them from germinating inside ripe fruit. They will not germinate unless nature comes to their aid. When it rains, the inhibitors are washed away. Soaking seeds helps do that. After that, other factors come into play before the seed will germinate.

The growing season has begun

An unexpected surprise

So, the 2022 Chilli growing season officially began for me today. Even though I had prepared for it, at the last moment the start of the season went pear shaped. I had followed my own advice and placed the seed into the refrigerator for three days. Also, as part of an experiment, I also put the same varieties into a deep freeze. I did this to find out whether cooling or freezing seeds is better for seed starting

After wrapping the seeds in aluminium foil, I placed them individually into seed tray inserts in mini seed starter trays with lids. The inserts consist of twelve cavities. I faithfully labelled each cavity with the variety it contained. The covered seed starter trays were then placed into the fridge and deep-freeze. The seeds were taken from the fridge and deep-freeze after three days. They were brought to room temperature, and I then poured weak Camomile tea into the trays. It was at that point, the unexpected happened.

Where I thought the seeds would remain in their individual cavities, they decided to go wandering. I had not realised there was a gap between the seed tray inserts and the bottom of the trays. Thus, the seeds didn’t stay where they should have. They escaped from a hole in the bottom of the seed insert cavities. What I was left with was a pool of water with Chilli seeds of various sizes floating in a pool of water at the bottom of the seed trays. I was now faced with the fact that I had a whole bunch of perfectly viable Chili seeds, but I was unable to tell the one from the other. What a way to start the Chilli growing season!

Chilli seed starting. Using a fridge?

CGS Growing chillies 14th January 202225th November 2024 0 Comment

To freeze or to chill?

My last post was about starting Chilli seeds. In it, I mentioned that before starting seeds, you should use a fridge to refrigerate them, for three days. This is something I recently started doing. It is something recommended by no less than the creator of the Carolina reaper in his seed starting guide. The idea behind placing the seeds in the fridge is to trick them into thinking it’s winter. Some schools of thought even recommend placing the seeds in the deep freeze to achieve this reaction. I thought I would do some research on the subject. What is best; to cool or to freeze?

While it is likely that some seeds will germinate faster if placed in the deep freeze, particularly plants that grow naturally in cold weather climates. But does this apply to Chillies? They originated in the Amazon basin (in Peru and Bolivia), after all, and certainly don’t like the cold!

My understanding is that the Amazon basin is a part of the world that doesn’t get very cold. If that’s the case, why should I need to put my seeds in a deep freeze? I am sure the Amazon basin never gets to – 20 degrees Celsius as our deep freeze does?

Growing Chillies for beginners

CGS Growing chillies 12th January 202229th July 2024 0 Comment

Completely new to growing Chillies?

Okay, so you’ve never planted anything in my life. You received a packet of Chilli seeds from a friend, and you want to sow the seeds without doing a lot of research. You also don’t want to go to too much expense. All you need is a little solid advice on how to grow your Chilli seeds. Sound familiar? Relax, we have you covered. Follow this no frills guide to starting Chilli seeds, and you will be on your way in no time at all.

So what do you need? Some stuff is definitely required, but there is no need to spend a lot at your garden centre or online. Stick to the basics, at first. In time, you can get fancier if you like

At the very least, I would recommend a closed dome propagator, some eggs, a cardboard egg tray or two, a small bag of general-purpose seed starting compost, a plastic spray bottle, some wooden ice-cream sticks or similar, a marker pen, a teabag (camomile if possible, but normal will do), a spoon and separate seed tray). A heat mat, small bag of vermiculite, and some capillary matting are optional. You also need the seeds, of course. If you have all these things together, you will be on the path to success.

So what will all this cost? A quick search online revealed it would cost about £7.00 for a propagator, £15 for a heat mat (optional), 50p for a spray bottle, £ 6 for a bag of vermiculite (optional), a 10-litre bag of seed starting mix £5.50, £2 for capillary matting (see below) and a gravel tray £2.30. I would assume you already have a spoon, ice cream sticks, a marker pen, eggs and egg trays at home. So the total setup cost for the bells and whistles version is about £40. Without the heat mat and vermiculite, it will cost about £18.00 (£16 without the capillary matting)

This may seem a lot to plant, just a few seeds, but the assumption here is that this will not just be a once off. The equipment and materials can be used to start many batches of seeds. Call it an investment in infrastructure.

The Chillies I am growing in 2022

CGS Growing chillies 10th January 202225th July 2024Growing Chillies 2022 1 Comment

Types of Chillies

I am going to town this year. I am growing over thirty-five types of Chillies. Some are overwintered plants, but I have also started thirty new varieties I have never grown before. These range from the mild Bellaforma (700 SHU) to the superhot Carolina reaper (which has an average Scoville heat rating of 1.64 million SHU).

There are many other Scoville ratings for the other Chilli varieties I am trying put between these two extremes. These range from medium to very hot. They cover most domesticated Chilli species, including C annuum, C pubescens, C baccatum, C chinense and C frutescens.

I am growing more superhots this season than I usually do. It’s not that I am a fan of the superhots heat levels; it’s more because these Chillies are so interesting. They certainly seem more challenging to grow than the milder types of Chilllies, but that just adds to the fun. I also want to experiment more with using superhots in cooking. Growing these extra superhot varieties will make this possible

The Rocotos that I am growing deserve a special mention. It is the first time I have grown C pubescens, and I must say I am impressed. In the short time these Chillies have been growing, they have done exceptionally well. They have done far better than any of the other Chillies. I can only put this down to the cold weather resistance of C pubescens. My other Chillies are now between one and two inches tall after four months of growing. The Rocotos are that height (and even taller at about 3 to 4 inches, after only ten weeks). No wonder Rocotos are so popular among British Chilli growers. They are certainly a robust species.

Preparation for growing Chillies

CGS Growing chillies 8th January 202211th November 2024 0 Comment

Preparing for 2022

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would separate the healthy from the unhealthy in the seedlings I started last year. What I forgot to mention is that I also overwintered some plants. Some of these plants have done worse than the others. I have had a couple die on me. This is something that always happens with overwintering. It’s a delicate balance. Some plants make it through the winter, and others seem to start withering . Before you know it, they are suddenly gone. It’s just the way it is

It is always best to look at the bright side, though. I will still have some overwintered plants that will make it through, and in the main, my seedlings that I started last year are doing well. So the season is off to a good start. All I now need to do is prepare for the seed starting. I begin in a week. Chilli season for the Chilli Workshop starts on the fifteenth of January this year.

To grow Chillies successfully requires a strategy. This strategy should be in place not only at the beginning of the season, but even before. Which varieties to plant needs to be considered, when to plant them, and many other things thought through before a hand is even laid on the seeds. Preparation for growing Chillies is essential.

Last year, I spent a lot of time developing my knowledge of growing Chillies by doing research and trialling new ways of doing things. This year, I want to use all my newly acquired knowledge to get excellent results. Part of this will be trying things I have never done before, and other elements I have tried and already had success with. Some of this will already be put to work in my preparation for the 2022 growing season.

The latest on the Rocotos

CGS Growing chillies, Growing Rocoto Chillies 7th January 202228th May 2024 0 Comment

An update on the Rocotos

It has now been about seven weeks since my Rocoto seedlings were planted. The tallest, named “Rocky” and “Rocco”, are about two to three inches tall. They both have been potted on into 3-inch fibre pots. The rest (still to be named ?) are only about one inch tall. They are still in the eggshells they were started in. The smaller seedlings still only have cotyledons. Once they develop their first set of true leaves, they too be potted on.

I have been pleased with these Chillies progress. Rocky and Rocco obviously like the new potting on mixture I developed last year. They are looking very healthy indeed. They are also definitely responding well to the current fertilization. I feed them with half strength Chilli Focus. I am making sure they get the right amount of moisture with my newly acquired aquameters. These are little devices that allow you to gauge how wet potting soil is. Rocoto seedlings Each of my larger Roccoto plants has one. When the indictor starts changing from blue to white, I know the time has come to give them water.

Since December, I am now only giving my seedlings rainwater. My wife bought me a rainwater barrel, and what a gift it was. I no longer have to use tap water. Watering Chillies with tap water can lead to nutrient lock out. I certainly don’t want that to happen with my Rocotos. They are, after all, my special plants

The general maintenance of these seedlings has been so far, so good. I am however still having to watch the aphids. As always, they always find a way of reappearing. This morning, I aim to wash the seedlings in a soap water solution that I make up. I use one tablespoon of a mild liquid soap like Castille, and add that to a quart of room temperature water. I then mix everything well. Once mixed, I turn the seedlings upside down (still in their pots) and submerge them in the solution. Normally this is enough to kill off any aphids, but to make sure I take it a step further. I allow the seedlings to dry, and then use my fingers to rub their leaves and stems. This wipes off any remaining aphids, whether dead or alive

Dealing with ailing seedlings

CGS Growing chillies 6th January 202229th July 2024 0 Comment

Some background

The 2022 Chilli season for me officially begins in about ten days. This is when I will start seeds for the last remaining varieties I will grow this season. Once again, I probably have gone over the top. I always do. In total, I will be growing about twenty-five varieties. In addition to the seeds I will be starting, I already have seedlings for some superhots and few other types. I started these last year. These seedlings are in various stages of development. They are currently in a controlled, heated environment under grow lights indoors

All in all, most of my seedlings are doing well. There are, however, exceptions. For example, my Carolina Reapers, Moruga Scorpions and Nagas seem to be struggling. Even though they were planted three months ago, they are only about an inch tall. I have always been aware that some superhots have long seed to maturation growth periods. That is why I started these varieties far sooner than I might ordinarily have, but their growth still appears relatively pedestrian.

In addition, I also have a few plants that don’t seem as healthy as they should. Some have yellowing leaves, and others just don’t seem vigorous. You can tell if a seedling is doing well. These seedlings (six in total) don’t appear to be making the grade. I really don’t know why. It’s not like they haven’t received the same care and attention as my other seedlings, which are thriving

With this in mind, the time has come for me to go back to conventional wisdom. As part of my detailed look into growing Chillies, I decided to dig deeper into this side of growing Chillies. Some of the following is what I found while doing research and the rest is based on my own experience.

Seed starting mix for Chillies

CGS Growing chillies 19th December 202129th July 2024 0 Comment

Getting ready for next year

A new round of seed starting will start at the beginning of next year. I aim to start these seeds in the middle of January. I have already started some superhots for next year’s season, and they are doing well. Some are already two to three inches tall and have been potted on for the first time. I expect to repot them into bigger pots at the end of January.

The seeds I will start in January have a shorter seed to maturity period than the superhots. They include Tangerine dreams, Malawian birds-eyes, Zimbabwe blacks and Trinidad perfumes. I expect them to germinate a week to ten days after they have been sown. They will probably be potted on for the first time in the middle of February.

With all this new seed started going to happen. I have decided to do some work on my seed starting mix. I have recently made some new discoveries that I want to try out. So why not start now? It will give me more than enough time to trial the new mix until it comes to the serious business of the final round of seed starting for the new season.