The optimum temperature to germinate chilli seeds is between 25-28°C (77-82°F). At this temperature, fast-maturing Capsicum annuum varieties such as Cayenne and Jalapeño typically germinate in 2-7 days. Slower Capsicum chinense varieties such as Habanero, Scotch Bonnet and Naga typically take 7-21 days. Superhot varieties like Carolina Reaper can take 3-4 weeks or longer even…
Well it’s that time of the year when i really should have some chilli seeds germinating. I love this time of year because you forget about last years mistakes and disappointments (weather, aphids etc) and are just focused on the possibilities of what to grow this year. I’m taking a slightly different approach this year…
There is no mistaking the Rocoto family of chillies from the Capsicum Pubescensspecies. Said to have originated from the high lands of South and Central America it was one of the first plants to be domesticated by early civilisations, and favoured by the Incas. All Capsicum Pubescens (such as the Rocoto Reds pictured below) have three…
Well the chillihouse doors are now firmly closed every night and most days to try and encourage all of the pods that have set to ripen. Winter seems to be quickly approaching so i though it’s about time for an update of this years crop. Of all of the plants i’ve grown this year the…
I had a quick sweep round the chilli house this morning before breakfast to harvest any ripe pods. Not a bad little harvest with 4 x Speedball, 1 Cayenne and 8 x Cheyenne. It’s important at this time of year to keep harvesting the pepper pods as they ripen to the plants can divert all…
As the popularity of growing chillies increases so does the bewildering number of varieties out there. One great way to experiment with growing different varieties is to save seeds from your current plants and swap seeds with fellow chilli growers. You can even experiment by trying to cross pollinate your plants and create new varieties….
Well it certainly looks like the weather has turned and autumn is well and truly with us to stay. The nights have been turning noticeably cooler (it got down to 6 degrees one night last week). In order to try and keep some of the unripe pods maturing I’ve moved quite a few of my…
Several months back while I was dreaming of Spring to arrive i wrote about my plan to build some self watering planters to use this summer. Well, before I got round to starting the build process Father Christmas very kindly brought me an off the shelf solution….the QuadGrow… The Basic Idea The four square…
Well, after what has seemed like a very long wait it seems we are now finally seeing some consistently high temperatures and some decent sunny days now and again. I’m pleased to report that most of this years crop seem to be catching up after the slow start from the incredibly wet and cold spring….