As i’ve discussed before there are loads of different ways to germinate chilli seeds and everyone has their favourite method. I usually use a regular propagator placed on top of a reptile heat mat in order to boost the heat delivered to the seeds (it’s also much cheaper than a heated propagator). I did this for the fist week after I planted the seeds then, with a long weekend away planned, I feared the seeds would dry out if i left them and any that did germinate would be short of light and at risk of wilting while i was away.

Instead of leaving them on the heat mat I decided to move the seed tray into my homemade light box. I used a regular plug timer to give the seedlings 18 hours of light each day. The low steady heat coming off the fluorescent tubes kept the temperature at a steady 19 degrees, not far off perfect for germination yet not too hot to dry out the seed tray cells. I also left the clear plastic lid on the propagator to help retain the moisture in the compost.

When I left (about 1 week after planting the seeds) just 3 had germinated so I watered them heavily and left home with my fingers crossed. I’m please to say that when I retuned home the tray was almost full of healthy germinated seedlings.

After planting some chilli seeds in the first week of January it’s now the 29th and despite my little trip away germination rates have been good. As you can see above all of the Aji hot seeds have germinated and 2 of the Rocoto Reds are also up. The Rocotos have been a lot slower than the Aji’s both to germinate and in their subsequent growth.

The Wahaca seeds that I was so sceptical about have excelled as you can see in the shot above. They have all germinated (most of them inside of two weeks) and the seedlings look really healthy and are growing much faster than the Aji’s and Rocoto’s.

I’ll soon have to cull some of the Serranos as there are several seedlings in each cell – it’s not something I enjoy doing (killing chillies!) but it is essential in order to allow the remaining plants the best growth rates. I’ll just snip of the weaker plants at the base of the stem with a pair of scissors rather than try to separate the roots and risk damaging the plants.

So all being well i’ll have a heathy crop of Seranno’s, Aji Hot and Rocoto Reds. Now that the first batch of pepper plants are underway i’m switching my thoughts to what i’ll plant in batch number two….

As mentioned in my last post it’s time to start thinking about growing some chillies in 2012. The first week in January seems to be an excellent time to get some seeds in the dirt and get a really good early start to the growing season.

I mentioned before about the free Serrano seeds I got from Wahaca last week. I’ve seen these before on previous visits but it’s always been the wrong time of year to plant them. Now however s the perfect time to get some germinating so hopefully I’ll have a nice crop of Serrano’s in the summer with which to knock up some good Mexican dishes.

As you can see below they come in a ‘book of matches’ with a couple of seeds stuck onto match like pieces of cardboard. A neat little gift and I’m sure a very effective marketing tool!

To plant them, you simply pull of the matches and pop them into the soil up to the line. Seems simple enough and it was. I’ll be particularly interested to see what the germination rates are on these Serranos. I’m not usually a fan of planting multiple seeds in the same hole as I feel it can harm the roots when you remove the weaker seedling so we’ll see what success I have with these seeds.

I’m using my usual potting mix which has worked so well in previous years.

In addition to the Serrano seeds, I also planted some Aji Hot and Rocotto Red. Again nothing fancy here, I just popped the seeds on top of the compost mix then sieved about 4mm of compost over the top before watering with a fine rose.

Now, if you are planting chilli seeds in January in the UK you are going to have to keep them warm. You can of course go out and invest in a heated propagator. It did pass my mind to treat myself to one the other day however the one i wanted was over £120! I couldn’t really justify that so I use my little reptile heat mat to speed up germination and simply place a regular [cheap] propagator on top of that. These mats emit a very low gentle heat, perfect for propagating seeds, and a fraction of the cost of a good quality heated prop.

As you can see I’ve left the seeds to germinate in our conservatory. After scorching some seedlings last year I’ll be sure to keep an eye on them. I generally tend to pop the vents open on the propagator during the day to prevent build up of mold and close them at night to keep the heat in.

I’ll plant another 2 or three batches of seed sin the coming weeks – it’s never a good idea to have all of the eggs in one basket. Next time I’ll plant some Lemon Drop and Ring of Fire as well as some of the usual Habanero’s and Scotch Bonnets.

Happy Growing and good luck for 2012!

So it is just a week or two since I picked the last pepper pods of 2011 and now it is time to turn my thoughts to 2012.

Over the past few years my seed box has grown and grown and rarely been cleared out as you can see. I’ve decided this is the year to throw away all my old seeds that are probably past it and grow a few varieties that I haven’t tried before.

For some reason I always end up growing a lot of habanero/scotch bonnets and Cayennes so this year I’m making a bit of effort to grow some more varieties I’ve not tried before. As a result, I’ve just purchased some seed from the excellent Simpson’s Seeds. Here are the varieties I’ve picked up:

Aji Hot

(Species: Cap Baccatum). These plants produce medium heated (short and thin) pods that look like short cayenne’s, maturing to a bright red from a pale yellow/green colour. The big things that attracted me to this Aji is that it is usually heavy yielding and can be overwintered. Hopefully these [plants will provide me with a large yield of chillies to use everyday for cooking.

Lemon Drop

(Species: Cap Baccatum). I’ve decided to grow these for their Lemony flavour. These 4cm long yellow pods should be quite a bit hotter than the Aji’s if not quite as prolific.

Rocoto Red

(Species: Cap Pubescens). These Rocoto’s produce roundish pods that aren’t that dis-similar from sweet peppers. Don’t let that deceive you though as they pack quite a punch in terms of heat. Like all Capsicum Pubescens the plants produce pretty purple coloured flowers and uniquely black seeds.

Ring of Fire

(Species: Cap Annum). Like most Annums these are easy to grow (apparently) and early fruiting. The pods are cayenne like and very hot. Hopefully I’ll have a heavy enough yield to dry them and make some paprika powder in the late summer.

Seranno

We were out for a Mexican meal at the excellent Wahaca a couple of days ago (if you fancy trying authentic Mexican food – not the usual Tex Mex rubbish, you’ll love it). As a rather nice touch they give you a little pack of Serrano chilli seeds (again i’ve not grown these before) when you pay the bill so I’ll also be giving these ago this year.

Unlike last year I  intend to start a bit earlier this year by planting some seeds soon after the New Year. I’ll report back once i’ve got some seeds in the ground. What are everyone else’s plans for this years growing? Share what varieties you’re planning to grow in the comments below.

As i mentioned in my last post despite being almost mid December my chilli plants still have ripe pods on them. That said thanks t the recent cold weather most of the plants are now looking very tatty with yellowing leaves, the last of the fruit losing their freshness.

Preparation

The first job is to carefully remove from it’s pot to assess the root ball. Assuming all looks healthy I gently rub off some of the compost from around the root ball. On older more mature plants, or those with pot bound root balls I generally trim about 1/3 of the root ball off with some regular pruners. This should encourage new root growth in the early spring when the plants kicks back into life.

With the root ball shaken out and trimmed the next job is to cut the stem about 15cm from the soil line. This seems harsh but it will prevent the plant from trying (in vein) to support the foliage throughout the winter and encourage dormancy.

A quick clean cut with some garden pruners is all that is needed. I’ve heard of some people using various powders or gels on the cut stem to prevent infection entering the plant however i’ve never had any issues so think it unnecessary.

Once trimmed I remove any of the excess foliage or side shoots from the remainder of the stem before getting ready to re-pot the plant. I use my standard potting medium for re-potting.

The fresh compost around the roots will ensure there is plenty of nutrients for the roots when the spring arrives. Once complete a light watering is all that is needed before popping the plants in the greenhouse.

Below is a picture of the of scotch bonnet I over wintered last year. You can see the old main stem that was cut. I was surprised that the plant didn’t put on much new foliage growth over the summer. I suspect the reason is that I didn’t re-pot it into any fresh compost when I over wintered it so it has been in the same potting medium for 2 years. As you can see in the picture below it was quite root bound.

Despite this neglect it produced a steady supply of blistering hot peppers this year. I’m going to try to over winter this plant again and have treated it to a root-cut and some fresh compost so hopefully it’ll repay me with another high yield next year.

Below are the 6 plants I’ll be over wintering this year.There is a couple of orange habaneros, two scotch bonnets, a naga and even the scorched Super Chilli F1 that produced a massive crop.

Where to Store The Plants

A common question we get asked is where to store the plants you are overwintering. Ideally they should be somewhere that stays about 5 degrees, gets some light and has some air circulation. A greenhouse (heated overnight in very cold weather) is ideal.

In my case these plants will  be living in the chilli house over the winter. It is reasonably well insulated with double glazing so I don’t need to worry too much about frosts. If we get a sustained cold period with snow like last year I may put a little electric heater in there overnight just to keep the chill at bay.

I’ve tried overwintering plants in the house before and find that the warm weather encourages them to put on fresh growth too early (before Spring arrives) and therefore the plants miss out on the dormant period.

Left outside chillies will usually get wiped out by heavy frosts or snow. If you don’t have a greenhouse then a windowsill in the shed or garage may do the job, failing that a spare room that isn’t fully heated would be good.

Feeding and Watering

Overwintering plants don’t need a lot of water. As the plants should be dormant for the next couple of months at least be careful not to over water them. Doing so will encourage fungus and disease around the roots.

I generally won’t start feeding them until there are clear signs of fresh growth in the spring. So in the mean times i’ll be planning what seeds to plant and have a think about building my self watering containers.

Well as I said a few weeks ago it has been a bonkers year for growing chillies in the new year. As you can see below those last few pods have ripened and despite it being the middle of December I am still picking ripe Scotch Bonnets.

Above is the last bonnet of the year, taken off a plant that has been under glass all summer. I finally harvested all of the remaining chillies yesterday and am now turning my thoughts to next year.

This year I didn’t start planting my seeds until late February so this year I intend to start at least a couple of months earlier. As well as sowing some seeds over the Christmas holidays I’ll be attempting to over winter half a dozen or so plants.

Below is a shot of the Scotch Bonnet I over wintered from last year. As you can see the growth it put on this year wasn’t excessive. Despite this it has produced a large yield of nice, hot scotch bonnets. I think one of the reasons for the limited growth was that I didn’t re-pot it when I prepared it last winter. As a result there can’t have been many nutrients in the potting medium this year, plus I didn’t exactly over feed it. I’ll try and over winter this bonnet again this year and treat it to plenty of good fresh potting medium.

As you can see below despite it being a few days short of mid December I’ve just harvested quite a large number of cayennes. In fact most of the pods below have come from pants I’ve neglected recently and have been outside in the recent frosts! I don’t think I’ve got quite enough to make a chilli ristra out of these so they’ll either end up in a Christmas wreath or in some of our famous chilli chutney.

One problem i face every year is what to do with my chilli plants when I go away for a few days during the summer. It can be soul destroying to put so much effort into nurturing your chilli plants right through the winter and spring only to have them fry during a hot summers day when you are away for the weekend.

I’ve read a few times abut self watering planters and seen a few different designs floating around on the internet. I finally  decided to see if i could make some in preparation for the [hopefully] hot summer ahead and prevent any last minute panics about how my plants will survive when I’m away later in the year.

Self watering containers will not only be useful while I’m on holiday but will hopefully reduce my watering routine each day. I grow most of my pepper plants in pots which means they tend to need more watering than if they were in the ground. In the summer this means watering both in the morning and the evening to avoid the plants running dry. If I can get a system that works i should have not only healthier plants but will also save myself some time ferrying the watering can around the garden every day.

I intend to build a couple of self watering containers ready for next year. I’ll post a series of articles to share my final design and experiences throughout next summer. Below are my current thoughts of what I’ll build.

Self Watering Planter Basic Design

Below is a rough sketch of what I am trying to achieve. The idea is that the bottom of the containers contains a reservoir of water that can be topped up from the pipe on the side. As the plant uses up the moisture in the main compartment, more moisture is sucked up through the medium in the wicking pot which is in the middle of the water reservoir.

The Components:

Main Container

The options for the main container are almost limitless. Here I intend to use a regular plastic storage box that you can pick up from most high street stores.

Tip: If possible i’ll use a dark colored container as light colored or translucent plastics are much more susceptible to degradation via sunlight which may significantly shorten the life of the container.

Wicking Pot

This is the real secret to a self watering container. Here i will use a small pot drilled with holes to allow the moisture through. An alternative might be an aquatic pot which are readily used for planting pond plants or when growing with hydroponics. It’ll depend on what size i need.

Moisture will be soaked up from the reservoir around it and in turn can be drawn upwards from the plants roots above.

Filling Tube

This allows me to fill the water reservoir below without having to water through the roots of the plant.

Water proof membrane

This layer prevents the plants roots or the compost from getting too wet. The layer should be water poof (and root proof) apart from the center which is open above the wicking pot. I’ll probably use regular capillary matting that you can pick up in most decent garden centers.

Wish Me Luck

So, hopefully i’ll find some time in the next couple of weeks to get these bits and pieces together and build a couple of these pots over the winter. I’ll keep you posted on progress and i’d be interested to hear if anyone else has built one of these via the comments box below.

It’s mid November, the nights have drawn in and winter it seems is well and truly with us. As we wonder if those last few pods will ripen there are a few jobs that we can be getting on with in order to help prepare for a great year of chilli growing next year…

Harvets the last chillies

This year has been a strange one here in the UK; heatwave in April, a cold wet and windy August and an unusually mild autumn. The net result of this is that unusually for mid November I am still getting habaneros ripening! I moved most of my plants back under glass a few weeks ago and amazingly they are still ripening.

As you can see in the picture below some of my habaneros are a bit stunted this year – i think this is due to the inconsistent weather. The plant below was over wintered from last year when it produced normal sized fruit so this must be the reason.

By now I have already harvested most of my chillies and as ever have used various different methods to preserve my crop so i can continue to enjoy them over the coming winter. With the remainder i’ll eat most of them fresh and will freeze the remainder.

Clean the greenhouse

I don’t actually have a greenhouse but have instead taken over a conservatory that has now become known as ‘the chilli house‘. By the end of each growing season it is filthy. As well as chillies there is always a large amount of tomatoes, cucumbers grown in there along with a constant supply of seedlings and cuttings throughout the year.

Having a good clear out and thorough clean of the floor and glass is not just good for the soul but it also helps prevent the spread of diseases and bugs. There are no secrets, just a bit of hard graft required. I simply take everything out, give it a good sweep out and wash the windows, walls and floor.

Insulate the greenhouse

As mentioned above I’m lucky enough to have a double glazed conservatory to grow my plants in. If your greenhouse is single glazed and you’re planning to over winter some chilli plants then you may want to consider insulating the greenhouse with bubble wrap.

Doing so will keep the temperature a few degrees higher than normal which can help you avoid losing any plants during a particularly cold frost. If you live in a slightly warmer climate then you might be able to just get away with a small greenhouse heater like i do.

Sort the seeds

Every year, like most chilli growers I get carried away and buy way too many seeds each spring. The winter is the perfect time to have a good clearing and throw any old seed away and work out what seeds you can use next year.

Don’t forget to ensure you store your seeds correctly. Ideally keep them in an air tight container in a cool dark room. An old biscuit tin in the garden shed is pretty much what you are after!

Choose plants to overwinter

We’ve written numerous articles on overwintering on this site over the last few years. In order to give yourself the best chance of success choose the strongest healthiest plants that produced the most crop this year. Look for plants with no disease that have produced a good quantity of tasty peppers.

Once you’ve selected the plants to over winter you can add the remaining plants that have stopped fruiting to the compost heap. In order to speed up the composting process try to break up the root balls as much as possible before adding to the heap. For more composting tips take a look at our comprehensive guide to composting.

Take stock

Don’t forget to take stock of your growing season. I find it useful to make a few notes on what varieties I grew, what the weather was like and worked grew well and what didn’t. You’ll find that in the future you may want to refer back to see what worked well in previous years and what ended in disaster!

Plan for next year

Now is of course the best time to plan next years crop and start sourcing seeds. Remember that slow growing varieties such as naga, bhut jokokia and habaneros need a long growing season. To get the best from these plants you may want to consider planting some seeds arums Christmas time to get a big head start on the growing season.

Of course if you’re planting seeds so early don’t forget you may have to provide some artificial light to the seedlings to get them through the dark winter. Whether it is a grow light setup, a mini greenhouse or indoor windowsills now is the time to start planning (and maybe negotiating with the wife!) where you’ll be keeping all of next years crop until the spring arrives fully.

Its getting to that time of year when plants start dying back and the garden starts to look a bit scruffy. I tend to grow a lot of potted plants, not just chillies so at this time of the year I have large quantities of dead plants, root balls and other garden waste to dispose off.

It makes perfect sense to me to compost as much as possible. Not only is it an environmentally friendly way to get rid of waste but of course you also gain a free supply of top quality compost that can be used for next years plants be they grown in pots or in the ground.

Making compost is easier than most people think. As long as you follow some basic steps you should have no problems producing great quality compost in just a few months.

Types of Compost Heap

The first thing you’ll need to do is to decide what type of compost heap you’re going to have. You can start off with a simple pile of debris on the ground but depending on the space and available budget you may choose a different solution. Below we’ve listed the most popular choices.

1. Traditional Heap

The easiest and cheapest. You compost heap can be as simple as a heap in a corner of the garden or a elaborate as a multi -stage system like the guys at Good Cheer Garden built out of old pallets.

Much will depend on the space and materials you have to hand. A multi section system allows you to move the material as it decomposes meaning you need to spend less time turning the compost and always have easy access to usable compost.

2. Dalek

These plastic compost bins are compact, tidy and easy to use, particularly if you have limited space. You simply add new material to the top and take out the finished compost via a flap at the bottom.

Many councils offer highly subsidized rates on these bins making them extremely cheap to buy so be sure to check with your local council before buying one at a garden center.

3. Tumbler

These types of composters are like giant tombolas. Though they take up more room in the garden they are designed so that the process of turning your compost is extremely easy. To turn you simply spin the composter round, meaning there is no need to get your hands dirty.

Generally the more you turn compost the quicker the decomposing takes. As a result these tumbling composters make compost the quickest out of the three types though they are also the most expensive to buy. I have a friend who loves his Parasene tumbler and highly recommends them.

What Can You Compost?

The key to making good compost is to use a wide variety of material. Ideally you should have an equal mix of green and brown material (see below for the definitions). The green materials are high in Nitrogen which help to get the decomposing organisms going while the brown material is carbon rich – great food for the organisms.

Green Ingredients:

Grass Cuttings
Nettles
Comfry
Garden prunings
Vegetable peelings
Tea bags/coffee grinds

Brown Ingredients:

Cardboard
Shredded waste paper (avoid glossy paper)
Fallen leaves
Woody prunings

Other:
Hair clippings
Crushed egg shells
Old egg cartons

Keep your Compost Moist

If using a closed composter such as a dalek or a tumbler then you may need to occasionally water your compost heap. The pile should be moist but not so wet that the material becomes slimy and rots.

Avoid water logging by ensuring there is adequate drainage at the bottom of your pile. This can easily be achieved by adding a few bits of wood to the bottom of your pile before starting and ensuring the pile is positioned over free draining soil.

Shred Your Waste

The smaller the material you add to the compost bin, the faster the composting process will take. Try to ensure you reduce the size of any waste you add to your compost pile. For example when using waste paper or cardboard, I run it through a regular household shredder before adding it to the pile.

A common problem gardeners face when making compost is that a lot of material they have to hand is too large or woody. If you’ve pruned back a large bush and have lots of woody branches one easy way to get it chopped nice and small is to put it on the lawn and run your lawn mower over it a few times.

Turn Your Compost

Turning your compost regularly is crucial in order to speed the process up and ensure a consistent texture to your compost. Doing so adds air to the mix to prevent is getting too damp as well as spreading the composting organisms around the pile.

If using a tumbler turning your compost is easy, simply spin the barrel. If you’re using a dalek or a regular pile then you’ll have to fork over the contents.

If you are using a dalek style compost bin then turning your compost can be difficult, particularly when the bin is nearly full. Previously I used to either struggle with a garden fork then usually end up lifting the dalek off the heap it enclosed and turn everything out onto the lawn before shoveling it back in – and creating a mess in the process.

Last year I bought a compost turner. I was a bit dubious that this would be one of those unnecessary tools that never gets used however it is exactly the opposite. Turners make the job of turning compost incredibly easy which means I now turn my heaps about every two weeks instead of twice a year!

It’s amazing what you find at the back of the greenhouse sometimes. Yesterday I was rooting round trying to find the labels that i dropped down the back of the staging and low and behold there were two naga chilli plants i’d fogotten about months ago!

Amazingly the plants were still alive despite not having been watered for several weeks at least. They’d been out of direct sunlight on the lower shelf of the staging which probably explains how they managed to not die of thirst. After giving them a bit of water (and some feed) they soon perked up and actually look surprisingly healthy, if a little on the small side!

Considering it is August already I very much doubt the plants will have enough time to develop so I won’t get any ripe chillies from them this year. Instead I think I’ll have to be satisfied with over wintering the plants and hoping to get a good head start on next years growing season.

Back in April I talked about how some Super Chilli F1 seedling got badly scorched after I left the propagator they were in on a sunny windowsill on a particularly hot day. Seedlings that are so small are incredibly susceptible to a change in their environment as i found out to my cost.

As you can see from the pictures on the original post the seed leaves were burnt off the seedlings all together and as a result I was pretty sure they would not survive.

After re-potting them I put them under my grow lights in the hope they’d recover. Well, four months on and I’m glad to report that the plants have made a remarkable recovery. As you can see in the picture below both of the plants are now bursting with fruit and looking incredibly healthy.

Although the fruit are not quite ripe i tried one last night and am glad to report the chillies pack quite a punch. Not only this but they look about the healthiest of all of my plants!

This goes to show that you should never give up on chilli plants that appear to be beyond saving. In fact the same thing happened with one of the Scotch Bonnet plants I over wintered. Chilli plants are incredibly resiliant. I’ve heard a few people say that pepper plants like to be ill treated. I think this is evidence that it is true.

Chillies With No Heat?

From time to time i hear of people being upset when chillies they’ve grown contain no heat at all. One reason often quoted is over watering. Some say that if you treat a chilli plant mean and only water it when really dry then the heat within the fruit intensifies. I’ve not seen any conclusive evidence that reducing watering increases heat but feel it may have an effect.

What do you think – does watering affect the heat in the chillies the plant produces? Leave a comment below.