Finally I can cook some fiery meal with home grown chillies. The weather wasn’t and still isn’t very kind to our veggies but the plants in the greenhouse growing well. I have tried to grow peppers outside years ago but I don’t think is really possible so since then I grow peppers and aubergines strictly in the greenhouse.
I know that many enthusiastic chilli growers sow their seeds as early as December,, but I think February is more realistic for the most of us; that is when I sow my pepper and aubergine seeds. They need heat to germinate so place the seed tray above a radiator or airing cupboard and as soon as the seedlings appear place them on the sunniest windowsill or conservatory if you have one. You can sow pepper seeds through March but I wouldn’t recommend later sowings than the first week of April.
I had to repot the chilli seedlings at the end of February and kept them inside the house until early May and then they went to the greenhouse to their final position. Make sure you don’t plant them outside even in the greenhouse until the last expected frost is gone. After that I feed them with a home made nettle feed every week or so and no other care was needed at all, only watering of course.
I recommend growing Jalapeno and Cayenne Red, especially if you are late with your sowings or you don’t have a greenhouse, polytunnel or conservatory; they mature quicker than the Habanero type chillies. And both variety produces plenty of fruits, you can pick the jalapeno when green but hey will not have too much heat, leave them on the plants longer for more fiery peppers. And the cayenne red is pretty hot. Habanero type chillies need a longer growing season and more heat and sunshine, in my experience they will definitely need a greenhouse to grow in and early February sowing. Due to this silly weather my Habanero orange chilli plants really small, and don’t have flowers yet and I am wondering if they will produce any fruit this year?!
