Chillies
Introduction
There is a great variety of chilli peppers to choose from, including relatively mild chillies to ferociously hot varieties. The more mature the chilli – with chillies commonly ripening from green to red – the more spicy it becomes. Most of the heat is found within the pith and seeds, rather than the flesh.
Whilst all varieties will grow in the UK, the amount of heat contained in a chilli is affected by the warmth and sunshine of the growing season.
Planting
- Seeds require a warm environment to germinate
(sunny windowsill / propagator) - Planting depth: surface sow / fine covering
- Planting spacing: individual pots, 40 cm between plants, 50 cm between rows
Harvesting
- Nearly all chillies transition from green to red or purple and can be eaten at any stage
- It is advisable to wear gloves when harvesting chillies, and to always wash your hands thoroughly after touching them
(inside)
(outside)
(fresh)
(stored)
= jar, 
= freeze, = store
Varieties
There is a great variety of chilli peppers to choose from. Chillies are often classified by their heat level using the Scoville scale. The scale ranges from zero to over a million, with most chillies scoring within the 1K to 100K range.
All types require plenty of heat and sunshine to fully ripen, and this is most likely to be achieved by growing in a greenhouse, polytunnel, or conservatory. Some southern parts of the UK, with longer and hotter summers, have a distinct advantage. If growing in more northern areas, or on an exposed site, it is worth looking for fast growing varieties bred for the British climate.
The easy way for a gardener to organise their growing and discover gardening ideas.
Growing
Chillies are relatively slow growing, so it is best to start germination early in a warm environment in late winter – ideally February or March. This is to ensure that the plants are mature enough to ripen their fruit in the short UK summer months of August and September. If you miss the time to grow from seed, consider purchasing young plants instead.
Sow the seed on the surface of damp soil and cover with a light sprinkling of soil or vermiculite. I prefer to loosely wrap the pots with plastic food wrap to help retain heat and moisture. Place in a warm light spot indoors, a sunny windowsill is ideal.
The seeds can take a week or two to germinate. If using plastic wrap, this should be removed as soon as you see the shoots emerge.
Chillies are grown in a similar way to tomatoes. It is important to keep the soil moist and feed when the plants are in flower. You can use the same feed for tomato plants on chillies.
Unlike for tomatoes there is no complicated pruning regime. You may want to pick the first few chillies whilst still green to encourage more flowers to set (the flowers will be where the chillies form).
If you intend to grow your plants outside, do not transplant them until all risk of frost has passed and the weather has turned warm. Chillies will grow best in the warmest, brightest, and most sheltered spot on a patio or next to a wall. For security, I use two plants per pot, and then remove the weakest once established.