We’ve had a lot of questions from readers about if and when they should pot on their chilli plants and what pot sizes to use. This is a hard question to answer as much will depend on the stage of development of your plants and the condition they are grown in.

Many of our readers seem to be planting their chilli seeds in communal containers such as window boxes or large planters. While this is great for saving space during the germination and seedling stages it can cause problems later on. If left too long, the plants roots become entangled and when the plants need separating into larger pots you can run the risk of damaging plants. As a result panting chillies in single pots is best.

As I mention in my recent post about potting on I tend to pot my plants on every few weeks when the roots become visible out of the bottom of the pot. During a season i usually pot on about 4 times, gradually increasing the pot size up to about a maximum of 10-12″ depending on the variety.

Potting On Experiment

While the above potting on routine seems to have worked for me in the past, I’m not too sure if something else would work better to i’ve decided to run a  little experiment. I have taken 6 Cayenne plants, all the same size (roughly 15″ in height) that until now have been in 6″ pots. I will leave two in the same pots and have potted two into 82″ pots and two into 10″ pots and see how they fair in different pots.

I’ve heard one theory that states that potting into too large pots means the plant wastes energy decveloping it’s root system instead of flowering and producing chillies. Conversely other wisdom states that leaving in too small pots won’t allow the plant space to develop and produce to it’s full potential.

All0f the plants are the same size at the minute and none are flowering quite yet so I think now is the perfect time to run this test.

I’ll keep all six plants in the same conditions (in a conservatory that receives a good amount of light and has a small heater for chilly nights) and see how their growth is affected by their pot size. Of course not only with the rate of growth be interesting but the yield of Cayenne peppers I get form them. I’ll report back later in the season with the results!

Do you have any tips or interesting ideas about pot sizes for peppers? If so leave a comment below.

Now that the chilli growing season is well under way and we are all worrying about our young plants I thought i’d draw together a list of some of the accessories I have found useful for getting me through this next stage in the season.

Chilli Focus Pepper Plant food – This is the only plant food we are aware of that is formulated specifically for growiung chillies.

Lady Bird Nest Box – We are all in favour of natural remedies to problems with pests. It is well known that ladybirds are the most effective predator of aphids. These nest boxes provide ladybirds a perfect abode in your garden from which to launch attacks on any aphids eating their way through your chilli plants.

Nemaslug Nematodes – These are natural bacteria that are very effective at controlling slugs over the period of a few weeks. They are the cleanest, most environmentally friendly and effective solution we’ve found so far to control our slug problems.

Plastic 3 Tier Greenhouse – Whether you are taking your first steps into chilli growing (or gardening in general) or just planted too many seeds in March and need some more room these cheap greenhouses are well worth the £20 they cost!

Parasene Greenhouse Heater - We keep saying it but chilli plants need as much heat and light as you can give them. I am always amazed how much difference it makes having my plants in a heated greenhouse at night. Cool night time temperatures really can slow down growth.

The Complete Chilli Pepper Book – This is the “chilli bible”. A comprehensive guide to choosing, growing, preserving and cooking with chillies.

Chilli Jewelery – We often hear from our male readers about their other halves worried that they give more attention to their tender chilli plants than them. Well, with these great chilli bracelets you can redress that balance!

Is there anything that has helped your plants prosper this year? Let us know using the comment form below.

If like me you don’t get round to planting your peppers early then there are a couple of ways you can speed up the germination and growth of your chilli plants in the early stages of their life.

In this post we’ll take a look at how you can speed up the germination of your chilli peppers, helping you get your chilli growing season back on track.

photo by grass-naps

Some chilli pepper varieties are renowned for being slow to germinate. While common varieties such as Cayenne or Jalapeño can germinate in just a few days, harder to grow varieties such as Naga or Bhut Jolokia can take up to a couple of months to germinate.

How I Speed Up Germination

Seeds love warm constant heat. Giving them this will help to speed up the germination process significantly. Unless you leave your central heating on all day and night it can be very hard to supply your seeds with a constant heat.

I use a heat mat designed for a reptile vivarium. These mats emit a constant warm temperature and use very little power and are intended to keep snakes and other reptiles nice and warm in their tanks. I discovered a while ago that they also make great heat mats for chillies and other plants!

I simply use standard 24 cell seed trays and regular potting compost (sieved) to plant my seeds. On each heat mat i can place two seed trays. I simply plug the mat in and bingo, my seeds have a steady stream of heat at the perfect temperature required for germination.

I have found that using these heat maps can speed up germination by as much as four times. In addition I believe that they also increase germination rates.

One word of caution – be sure to check your seed trays moisture levels more often as the extra heat will mean they are more likely to dry out quicker and need more watering.

Have you got any tips to help speed up the germination of your plants? If so please let us know by leaving a comment below.

With the new years (and chilli growing season) ahead of us we thought we’d post some simply tips to help your chilli growing efforts this year.

Start Growing Early

Growing chillies in the relatively cool climate of the Europe (the same for North America) generally means that the time your plants have to fruit is much less than the chillies native climate in South America or Asia. The more heat and sun chilli plants receive, the more chillies they will produce. Here in the UK we obviously get less heat and sun than somewhere like say India, therefore we get less chillies too.

The best way to increase your chilli harvest is to start growing earlier. If you haven’t overwintered any chilli plants from last year then the easiest way to do this is to start thinking about getting some seeds planted now. By planting chilli seeds now you’ll have much more developed plants when the weather starts improving in the Spring meaning they will start fruiting much earlier.

Plan Ahead (Mainly Space!)

One of the most common problems we see year after year among chilli growers is them running out of space some the summer when their plants suddenly start to increase in size dramatically. It can be very easy to plant hundreds of seeds in early spring then not have the heart to cull the weak ones meaning you end up with way too many plants.

Take time to plan which varieties you want to grow this year and realistically how many fully grown plants you can accommodate. When working out exactly how many seeds to plant be sure to factor in giving some plants away to friends in the spring. Also you may lose some due to poor weather, pests or disease to i’d advise to plant slightly more than you think you’ll need.

Grow a variety of Chillies

As mentioned above it is much more fun to grow a number of different varieties. Different varieties have vastly different tastes, growing habits and behaviors so be sure not to just stick to one variety.

I generally always grow many of the easier varieties (such as Apache, Jalapeno, Cheyenne) while at the same time experimenting with some of the rarer or harder to grow varieties. A great way to get a good selection of varieties is to buy a seed multi pack.

Keep a log

One of the things we have learned over the years growing chillies is how useful keeping a log of your chilli growing can be. I keep a simply log of all of the chillies I grow. I maintain this in a spreadsheet however a simple notebook would suffice. Typical things i record are:

• No of Seeds Planted

• Potting Medium

• Source of Seeds

• Germination Rates

• Lighting used (if any)

• First flowering date

• First Fruit Date

• Rough indication of yield

• Notes on any pests/diseases

Doing the above helps me avoid making the same mistakes i’ve made in the past. At the end of the season I can reflect on which plants did well (and which didn’t) and figure out why some fared better than others.

Learn From Other Peoples Mistakes

The great thing about running thechilliking.com is the great community of fellow chilli lovers that are willing to share their advice and knowledge.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to share? If so please feel free to add a comment below.

With Christmas fast approaching the annual scratching of heads and wondering what presents to buy your family and friends begins. We’ve tried to help this year by selecting our top 10 presents for the chilli addicts in your life. If you are stuck for ideas this year you’re sure to find some hot inspiration below!

1. Chilli Growing Kit

These little chilli growing kits make great stocking fillers. Whether you are buying for a seasoned chilli growing professional or a complete newbie these kits are a great fun and easy way to grow edible chilli peppers with minimal fuss or mess. Great for kids and adults alike!

Inside is everything you need to grow your own chillies next year (not just one but 5 varieties!). Inside you get 5 varieties of seeds, pots, compost, labels and and information booklet full of advice and tips to help you grow them.

Once you get one be sure to check out our chilli growing guides to make sure you look after your chilli plants as well as possible.

2. Chilli King T-Shirt

Do you have a Chilli King in your family? Or maybe someone that thinks they are?! If you do then one of our famous chilli king T shirts would make the perfect stocking filler.

We stock various sizes (S,M,L,XL) and ship the same day. Click here to buy one now.

3. Chilli Lights for the Xmas Tree

If you want to spice up your Christmas then these chilli pepper fairy lights are a great way to add some heat to the festivities in your house.

Whether you use them at Christmas to help light up the Christmas tree or throughout the year to decorate your home and provide some ambient lighting these fairy lights make a great subtly addition to any home. Ours never fail to grab the attention of guests when they see out christmas tree!

Each set measure over 2m in length (perfect for the xmas tree) and contains 20 individual chilli pepper lights.

Note: For indoor use only!

4. Chilli Pepper Jigsaw

This is the ideal christmas present to help you keep the family chilli head entertained for a few hours. This 300 piece chilli jigsaw (measuring 48cm x 30cm) is not the easiest to complete, it kept us going at Chilliking HQ for far longer than we anticipated!

You’ve probably seen baked bean jigsaws before, well this is the chilli version. It’s best to try and complete this jigsaw sitting down because after a while looking at all of the pieces you can get a bit dizzy!

Note: This will keep your kids and chillihead quiet for hours on Christmas Day!

5. Dwarf Chilli Pepper Plant

Not only do these little chilli pepper plants look great but they produce fully edible Apache chillies. The plants come in a stylish metal pail making them ideal house plants. Forget about buying your loved one roses, she’ll much prefer one of these cute little chilli plants!

Contrary to what many people believe chilli plants (especially compact varieties such as apache) make ideal house plants. So long as you have a warm windowsill these little plants should make it through until next summer no problem!

6. Chilli Pepper Apron

These great chilli aprons are made from 100% cotton and are ideal for the budding chilli chef. Complete with a front pocket and adjustable neck tie this chilli apron will help protect your clothes from that bubbling hot pot of chili con carne!

These aprons are fully machine washable and make a great addition to any chilli heads wardrobe so why not buy one for the chilli head in your life!

Note: Next time you get told off for making a mess when sorting out your chilli harvest you can simpley point and smile at the apron!

7. Chilli Pepper Magnetic Fridge Pen

This is a great stocking filler for any spice addict in your life. This magnetic fridge pen is ideal to keep on the fridge and use to make vital shopping lists.

Once you’ve got one of these you’ll never forget to buy that bottle of tabasco from the supermarket again!

In fact we were so impressed we bought a few of these: our best use so far has to be in the car where it sticks nicely to the inside of the door panel!!

8. Chilli Pepper Storage Jar

Designed by Stefano Giovannoni these spice storage jars are a superb way to correctly store your harvested chillies.

Thanks to the translucent design and cute little chilli pepper sitting on top you’ll never forget which jar in the cupboard has your chillies in it again.

We liked these jars so much we bought a few of them and use them not just for our dried chillies in the kitchen but also to store our chilli seeds in! They are ideal for this as they keep the moisture and extreme temperatures away from the delicate seeds.

9. Chilli Pepper Mill

We wrote about the popularity of these chilli flake grinders on the blog back in September.

These mills are made by the renowned manufacturer Cole & Mason who offer a lifetime guarantee on all of their products.

This particular type differs from your regular salt and pepper mill as it sits upside down on your table.

Made from high quality crystal clear acrylic with a red soft touch band and with an easily adjustable ceramic spring loaded mechanism this makes a stylish yet practical addition to any table.

Note: Definitely looks a bit smarter than an old bottle of tabasco sitting on the dinner party table!

10. Chilli Drier / DehydratorPepper Mill

Last but by no means least our these great Food Deydrators. If you are serious about preserving your chillies then why not treat yourself to one of these contraptions.

Drying chillies can be a tricky process risking either mould and rotting fruit if done in natural air or burning them to a crisp if using the oven. Drying chillies with one of these dehydrators could not be simpler. Simple load up the trays, switch it on and come back in a few hours.

A question we are getting asked all of the time at this time of year is how to speed up the ripening process that occurs naturally in your chillies.

In nature the two things that help your chilli peppers ripen are a constant warm temperature and long sunny days (lot of light). As summer fades away and the cooler short autumn days approach it becomes much harder for your pepper plants to ripen the fruit they are bearing. The cooler temperatures and lack of heat caused by autumns shorter days simply means that your chilli plants do not have the energy to ripen their fruit.

Move your chilli plants indoors

Perhaps the easiest way to solve one of these problems (cooler temperatures) is to move your plants indoors. Ideally a south facing conservatory or windowsill is best as this will hopefully allow the plant to enjoy a constant warm temperature while still maximizing the amount of sunlight it receives.

If possible avoid putting your chillies in the fridge. Doing so will of course keep them fresher for longer however it will not help them ripen and some say the cooler temperatures of a fridge can breakdown the naturally occurring sugars, impacting both the taste and heat of the peppers.

Ripen Your Chillies Off the Plant

As with virtually all fruit and vegetables you can simply pick your chillies while still unripe and allow them to ripen naturally by storing them in a dry place in the kitchen. This works really well particularly when the chillies are already partially ripe. If you decide to adopt this approach and have quite a few chillies then perhaps one of the best (and most decorative) ways to ripen them indoors is to make a chillie ristra.

The Old Wives Approach To Ripening Chillies

One technique we heard about recently which sounds interesting is to place your harvested chillies in a brown paper bag with a couple of ripe apples. Apparently this helps speed up the ripening process. This sounds a bit like the theory that banana skins helping to ripen fruit. We’ve been unable to find out if this works or what the science is behind it but it may be worth a go!

Be sure to let us know which chillie ripening method has worked best for you by leaving a comment below.

One of the questions we are constantly asked is how do you know when your peppers are ripe and ready to be picked? Well in this post we’ll try and give you a few pointers to help you pick your chillies at the right time so you can maximize both the flavor and yield of your chilli crop.

As a general rule you can usually eat chillies at any stage of ripeness. Most varieties tend to ripen from green to dark brown to red or even possibly yellow. Perhaps the best known example is the humble jalapeno which most people either think of as either red or green. In fact similar to the sweet bell peppers we see in the supermarkets these are the same variety of Jalapeno, just at different stages of ripeness.

The fruit of chillies can generally be eaten at any stage of the ripening process however the flavor will change as the ripening process occurs. When the fruit are green they tend to be slightly bitter and as they move towards red or yellow they tend to sweeten in taste and also lose some of their heat.

Ripening Orange Habanero

Of course there are no golden rules and every chilli variety is different so be warned of generalizations. As a rough rule the smaller the pepper the more heat it will pack. The best way to know when your fruit are ready to ripen is to try and taste them at different stages.

Of course once your fruit are ripe it is definitely worth you while picking them as opposed to leaving them on the plant. The more you pick from your chili plants the more the plant will be encouraged to produce more fruit. If you find yourself in the lucky position of having more fruit than you can eat you should look at different ways to preserve and store your chilli crop.

As with most fruit/vegetables you can harvest chillies a little early and they will continue to ripen after they have been removed from the plant. In order to help prevent them getting spoilt allow them to ripen by placing them in a cool dark place and check after a couple of days. Any longer and you should think about either eating them or drying/freezing or pickling.

At this stage of the growing season it can seem that your chillies will take an age to ripen. As you can see in the picture above many of our varieties such as Orange Habanero, Scotch Bonnet and Apaches are only just starting to turn red. What we need is a sustained period of warm weather to help speed up the ripening process. Of course if you have a greenhouse the ripening process will be much quicker.

One question we get asked a lot here at The Chilliking is how much should I water my pepper plants?

Below we’ve compiled some watering tips to help you give your peppers the right amount of water they need to flourish.

Chilli Watering Tips

• Plant your seedlings in clear plastic drinking cups. Not only will this save you money on expensive pots but you will also be able to see how dry/moist the roots are. You’ll soon see that the surface can look bone dry while just a centimeter or two below the surface the soil will be perfectly moist.
• Chillies hate wet feet. Ensure your plants have lots of drainage and do not let them sit in a tray full of water. Always water from the top and allow any excess water to drain out of the roots by putting holes in the bottom of the pot helping to reduce fungal infections of the roots.
• Avoid using tap water straight away. Try to let it stand overnight in a watering can or bottle before giving it to your plants. This will firstly let the temperature get up to room temp so as not to shock the plants as well as letting some of the chlorine evaporate meaning your plants get cleaner water!
• If using liquid feed avoid the temptation to use strong doses. We recommend liquid tomato feed diluted to half the recommended strength.
• Water regularly. Letting your plants dry out then giving them a big water can flush out valuable minerals from the soil/compost. Aim to water at least every 2-3 days, more regularly if required. Regular drinks will place less stress on your chillie plants.

The above tips are only advice. Different chilli varieties grown in different environments will al respond differently.

If you are experiencing problems with your plants (e.g flower drop, yellow leaves etc)  it is well worth doing some split testing to find out what solves the problem.

Simply take half of the problem plants and experiment – water less/more, add feed, bottom water etc and see what if anything helps cure the problem. Oh and if you find something that works be sure to pass on the tip by posting a comment below.