Wednesday 10 October 2012

More on chillis

Many of you know that I am fond of growing chillis...

Fuego F1

The website Lovethegarden.com (whose competitions I sometimes enter) has recently published a short infographic on chillis, which might be of interest to you if you are thinking about growing them for the first time. Here's a link to it: Hotter than the Sun


In the infographic it states that "adding fish fertiliser once a month is critical". I disagree. I have successfully grown chillis for many years and I have never even contemplated using fish fertiliser. I hate fish in all forms, and the thought of putting it on my beloved chilli plants is repugnant! I do however regularly use the Tomorite tomato-fertiliser which is also advocated - and I use it on my tomatoes too.


I would also suggest that you ignore the advice in the infographic to only plant out your chillis when the daytime temperature averages 21 degrees C. In the UK you might wait for ever! I have found that although chillis LIKE high temperatures, they will tolerate much lower ones, so don't be put off. Of course, if you have a greenhouse (even one of the little plastic ones like I have), it would be best to grow the chillis in that - at least until they are well established.

Fuego F1

Another factor in successful chilli growing is moisture. In the hot countries where chillis originate, rain often falls in huge quantities but for a short time (I know this is an over-simplification!), whereas here in the UK we tend to get rain much more frequently - and until recently I would have said "in smaller doses", though this year has been exceptional and many parts of the British Isles have had torrential rainfall. I think it is best to try to keep your chillis relatively thirsty. My belief is that this will put them under a certain amount of stress, which in turn may serve to make their fruit somewhat hotter (which is good if you like that sort of thing). This therefore is another reason why growing chillis under cover is desirable.


Sitting here thinking about what makes a good chilli, I have come to the conclusion that it may all be just a case of Trial and Error! If you are a commercial grower it is usually possible to create a constant set of conditions, but as an amateur growing perhaps half a dozen plants each year this is not the case. I have further concluded that that is exactly why I enjoy growing chillis: the challenge of creating the right conditions; the excitement of never knowing quite what you are going to get; and the thrill of seeing the end result - a harvest of glossy green / red / orange / purple fruits. For me of course there is an added bonus: chillis are good photo subjects!

Amando

In all honesty, we don't eat a huge quantity of chillis. We use them wherever appropriate, but we are not obsessed with them. I'm not over-enamoured with the blazingly-hot chillis either. Not for me the mouth-numbing fire of Bhut Jolokia; I prefer the mellow smokiness of a good Chipotle.

Turkey

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P.S. Nothing to do with chillis, but...

I have seen an advert for WoodblocX's amazing method of creating easy-to-build, flexible, durable raised beds, planters etc. I'm not normally one to be overly-influenced by advertising, but I think this concept is exceptional. Like Lego bricks for grown-up gardeners! OK, you may say, it sounds expensive for just some bits of wood, but just think of all the effort you would save (buying, transporting, cutting, treating, assembling wood etc). I reckon my granddaughter Lara would have some fun helping me to build one of those beds too...When (if) I win a million on the National Lottery I shall definitely be buying some Woodblocx.

P.P.S. WoodblocX have kindly offered me one of their kits to review, and it is arriving next week! I shall be writing about this in due course. Watch this space...

13 comments:

  1. So which do you reckon is the mildest chilli that someone like me may be able to cook and eat?

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    1. Sue; I'd recommend Fuego - fairly mild, but a reliable cropper, and the fruits look good too. BTW, I would consider it a major victory if I were able to convince you that chillis are worth growing and eating.!

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  2. On reflection I didn't have much luck growing hot chilis last year as they didn't get 'hot'. They tasted like small non-hot peppers. I think it was a lack of sunshine, or I harvested them too soon. I must try again.

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  3. I knew there was something that I liked about you! Chillis (chiles here) are one of my favorite things to experiment with, both in the garden and the kitchen. I've found that the key to growing them successfully is to just keep trying, try different types, some are more tolerant of cold than others and some are quicker to set or ripen pods than others, just keep experimenting and you'll find something that works in your own garden. I can't do the super hot peppers either so I like to try the mild to medium hot types. And I like sweet peppers too. This year I'm doing a trial of about a dozen different sweet peppers, most of which are supposed to be cool climate or short season adapted - bells, pimentos, and other types. I'm going to have to do some looking around on your blog to see what you're growing this year.

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    1. Hi Michelle, thanks for the compliment! I'll save you the trouble of researching the varieties - this year I have Amando, Fuego F1, Hot Portugal and an un-named one I got in Turkey, hence I have nicknamed it "Turkey". Oh, and latterly one plant of Scotch Bonnet.

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  4. When I could grow chilies I never fertilized them except at the start. It worked great. The only time I put fish fertilizer on them was when my peppers got bacterial wilt. It has been proven to help them survive the wilt so I figured I ought to. In fact that is the only time I use fish fertilizer at all in the garden, when the plants are struggling.

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  5. I didn't get any chillies this year either - bleedin' slugs ate them all (grrrr)!

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    1. You obviously have slugs with exotic tastes!

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  6. Hi Mark, I am interested in how you get on with the WoodblocX system.
    We built 4 deep raised beds last year using new plastic scaffolding planks. Each bed is 12ft by 6ft and two planks deep. It was quite costly to build and fill with soil/compost but they will never rot. We also use recycled plastic posts too. The other beauty about them is that each plank is hollow and so I have built-in cavity walls which helps to keep the soil warm! We had some great crops this year but still learning. Thanks for you blog, it is a great help. You have now encouraged me to start my own, but it is not up to your standard yet ;)
    April

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    1. Hi April; That's very interesting to hear. I like the fact that the plastic planks will last effectively for ever. I usually have to replace my wooden raised beds every 5 yesrs or so. What is the name of you blog please? I couldn't find it via your Profile.

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    2. Hi Mark,
      I have now finally unleashed my blog on the world: http://marinevillagarden.wordpress.com
      I hope you like it- your comment above made me finish it this evening although I still have some more to put up!
      I also noticed the WoodblocX system was on The Dragon's Den this week- episode 6 on BBC iPlayer if you missed it.

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  7. You know I love good Chilli!

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  8. I don't use chillies in cooking at all, but they look so lovely growing on the plant, especially once they turn red, so I did grow them one year. I got loads of chillies. Isn't it typical that the thing I don't eat grows so well for me? I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on with the WoodblocX kit. Lucky you getting to try one out.

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