Conditions in the garage are therefore not ideal for the chillis, but they are certainly a lot better than being outside. At least the plants are relatively warm and definitely shielded from the wind.
Here you can see my "Alberto's Locoto" Rocoto chilli:
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| "Alberto's Locoto" Rocoto |
It is big and straggly (and losing many of its leaves), but its fruits are finally ripening.
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| Rocoto |
I have picked some of the ones that are beginning to go red, and I have taken them indoors to ripen fully in the warmth. Once they start showing some red I know it will only be a few days before they are fully ripe.
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| Rocoto |
Next door to the Rocoto is one of my "Aji Limon" plants (I have 3). It's fruits too are ripening at last. There are a fair few of them, and yet again the garage has meant that I have been able to keep this plant going long enough to ripen fruit that would otherwise probably not have made it to maturity. I have found that Aji Limon is usually one of the last to ripen.
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| Aji Limon |
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| Aji Limon |
The top shelf of the potting-bench is hard to photograph in the low light:
Up there are two more chilli plants. I lifted them down to photograph them for you. The short one is "Calico", with its variegated foliage and purple (eventually red) fruits.
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| Calico |
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| Calico |
The tall one is the Nosferatu / Cayenne hybrid we nicknamed "Nosferatu Green Leaf", on account of the fact that its foliage is much greener than that of a normal Nosferatu. The fruits are Nosferatu colour, but Cayenne shape. None of them have turned red yet, but I expect they will eventually.
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| Nosferatu Green Leaf |
So there you have it - my "greenhouse substitute". My ambition is to one day have a polytunnel, so you just wait...!
I don't even have a garage, we replaced it with an extension on the side of the house, though I do have my little greenhouse. It's good enough to protect plants against the elements but I'd love a bigger one.
ReplyDeleteI should try potting some of the smaller chilies and bringing them indoors for the winter. They don't have to produce, just survive until next spring. I don't have the greatest light in the winter but my Meyer lemon tree survives OK. The season here is just to short to grow some of the Aji varieties I would like to grow.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably try bringing some pepper plants inside again at some point in the future, but next time I'll make sure to give them a good wash - aphids took all my plants last year within a month of bringing them inside.
ReplyDeleteI spent most of the day in my garage yesterday too, but in my case it was to finally deal with everything that had gradually piled up in there over the course of the summer. Cleaning up and organizing a space is so satisfying!
Nice to have that space to keep plants over winter. My garage window is too small and also north-facing for plants. Is the Aji Limon fairly mild? It looks like the chillis you can buy pickled.
ReplyDeleteAji Limon when ripe is hot but not very hot (say approx. 30 - 40,000 SHU). It has a lovely citrussy flavour too.
DeleteNow that I have discovered that I like chillies I will have a go at growing them next year, if they don't ripen I have the tunnel and the sunroom as well as the greenhouse so I wont be stuck for somewhere to put them, what variety would you recommend , not too hot but with a gentle punch?
ReplyDeleteI would recommend Nosferatu - it looks great with its dark leaves and black fruits (which turn red when ripe). Nice taste. Not too hot. If you want a more traditional chilli, perhaps you should try Cayenne, or Ring of Fire.
DeleteAnd whilst you are garage gardening, do you listen to the garage music?
ReplyDeleteNice idea, but No, I don't!
DeleteI also have a frost free garage with a fairly light small window.
ReplyDeleteAs I have neglected to root pelargonium cuttings this year I will very shortly lift some of my better variegated ones, pot them and keep them almost entirely dry until mid March when they can be rescued into my unheated greenhouse!