Growing chilli peppers can add a splash of vibrant colour to your garden and some spicy zest to your food. Growing them can be rewarding...
Growing chilli peppers can add a splash of vibrant colour to your garden and some spicy zest to your food. Growing them can be rewarding and delicious endeavor.
Choose your Variety
Chilli peppers are available in several varietals with differing colours and heat intensity. If you are growing them to use in cooking, ensure you choose a type that matches your own preferences for spice and heat. Peppers are graded for heat on the scoville scale of intensity from a bell pepper at 0 to the Trinidad scorpion at over 1.4 million! Some favorites like the jalapeno rates at 2500 to 8000 and a cayenne comes in at 30-50,000. chillis can be green, yellow, red or purple and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The pepper plants themselves may be small house plants or can grow up to two meters. This large variety of colors and sizes can enhance any garden.
Planting
Chillis can be grown from seed or you can purchase started seedlings. Seeds need to be soaked in warm water to soften the outer shell before planting. Seeds can be planted in individual pots or grouped in planter boxes and larger pots. Regardless of your choice of container, always plant more than one. It is said that peppers like to “hold hands” and seem to grow better in bunches. Place the seeds in fine pre-moistened compost about 5 cm apart. Cover with another three to five centimeters of compost. Keep covered until germination. It needs to stay at least 20 C for chilli seeds to germinate, so it is best to keep them indoors in a warm spot like above the refrigerator. Keep moist. It may be better to use a spritzer to gently water the seedlings rather than pouring directly on them.
Growing
Once the germinated seeds have two or three leaves, you can keep them uncovered. When there are 4 to 5 leaves you can start placing them outside. Do not leave out if overnight temperatures drop below 15 C. Thin out the weaker plants to give the healthier ones room to grow. Diverse types of chillis grow at different rates, some of which can be quite slow. The plants can be transplanted after growing to about 6 cm. Chilli peppers do not like being transplanted so be careful. Wet the soil first and make sure not to damage the root bulb. The roots are shallow so carefully dig around and below the entire bulb and place in a 5 cm hole with plenty of space between plants. Gently cover with soil then water.
The plants prefer rich alkaline soils, but will grow in almost any soil. Poor soils can be improved by adding compost, mulch and fertilizers. A high soil potassium content will aid growth, but too much nitrogen will encourage more leaf growth and less fruit. Chillis are susceptible to root ball worms, but that usually only occurs in poor soils and can be avoided by adding compost and fertilizer. Peppers will require temperatures above 30 C in order to produce fruit. Planting in full sun is best for most climates, but they could become sunburnt in very hot environments. Always keep the soil moist, but do not overwater as you could drown the plant. Most peppers are annuals but some varieties of Chillis can survive two or three years in warm climates. Peppers have weak stems and can produce heavy fruit. This can lead to stem breakage so staking is often necessary. Pruning leaves allow the plant’s growth to focus on the fruit.
Harvesting
Pick your peck of peppers once they reach your desired maturity. Some Chillis change colors as they mature, but peppers will not ripen after picking. Picking will stimulate the growth of even more fruit. If you intended on drying your chillis, they can be left to dry on the vine. The juice from peppers contain capsaicin and can be very hot. It is best to wear gloves when picking and avoid touching your eyes after handling.
Chillis add zip to food. Even people who don’t like hot spicy food can still enjoy the flavour tiny amounts of milder Chillis add to their cuisine. The bold colours brighten gardens and attract birds, who are not affected by the capsaicin. Dried peppers make decorative topiary arrangements, so enjoy them throughout your home as well as your meals.
