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Potting on Chillies: Does Pot Size Matter?

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.

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Red Lentil Soup Recipe

This recipe is a cross between an Indian dhal and soup, in fact it is and can be both! It can be served on its own as a starter but also makes a great side dish when served with rice and other Indian food.

Red Lentil Soup Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 teas spoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
1/2 cup of small red lentils
1 pint of vegetable or chicken stock
3 chopped tomatoes
1 handful of chopped fresh coriander
3 dried red chillies

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan to a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and when they start to po add the finely chopped onion. Cook on a slow heat until the onion takes on a nice golden brown colour (almost to the point of burning). Next add the garlic, chillies, cumin, turmeric, coriander seeds and tomato and fry off for 2-3 minutes.

Next add the stock and red lentils (rinse them before hand in cold water to remove any unwanted starch) to the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes. You can serve as it is (rustic) or if required remove from the heat, blend in a food processor and sieve before serving.

Serve with a few sprigs of fresh coriander sprinkled on top.

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Chilli Soup Recipe

This great soup is easy to make and great either served as a light summer meal or a hearty winter warmer. The recipe is very adaptable too as you can easily change the ingredients according to your taste or what you have in the fridge.

Chilli Soup Ingredients

2 Potatoes
1 pint of vegetable stock
1 leek
1 onion
2 carrots
2 red chillies (cayenne or similar)
1 courgette
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 thick slices of stale bread
1 handful of fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Method

In a saucepan boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until nearly cooked and after 5 minutes add in the chopped carrots. While they boil, in a deep pan sweat down the leek and onion until soft.

Drain the potatoes and carrots and add back to the pan. Add the vegetable stock, finely chopped red chilli, courgette (cut into thin strips), thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on a low heat.

Toast the stale bread slowly under the grill. When fully done, remove from the heat and cut into small cubes before serving sprinkled on top of the soup with a drizzle of olive oil.

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