The 2012 Chilli growing thread - the second burn!

[topgun06]

What are the best ones to grow and where do I buy the seeds? I started by veggies (non chillies) late feb last year so i'm going to start late Jan in propagators.

Buy what you want. There's noting really good or bad. Get a few varieties of differing heat ratings.

You can get them from Wilko, local DIY place, garden center. Or I can recommend SowSeeds. Cheap seeds, cheap postage and quick delivery.

OR its 3 for 2 on Thompson and Morgan at the moment.

 

[topgun06]

Right, very quick question as my finger is hovering over 'proceed to checkout' - I was planning on planting Tabasco, Jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet seeds.

Is it too late to plant any of them if I want a crop this year? I was going to get some chilli focus to help them along.

No, you have plenty of time. You could sow up til April. However (from my 1 year of experience), Scotch Bonnets could do with being sown soonish. But even if you left it a month, you would still get crop.

 

[Glaucus]

Second (low priority question): Does anyone know those long green peppers that kebab shops tend to put with their salads? They look similar to green Hong Kong Chillis:

They aren't very hot but I like them pickled, so if you know what they are likely to be (I know different places use different things) that would be great

not to late at all, I factors stil slightly to early

Most people think its jalapeños but it's not. And after a quick google I think they are Peperoncini

And if you wiki it, it shows this pic and description

Peperoncini, or peperoni, in a Swedish kebab restaurant

 

[mistercrabb]

Thanks, that's very helpful guys!
To draw attention to my ninja question-edit though, do you reckon I'm going to need to heat the seeds to get them going? I doubt my room reaches 25C at this time of year :/

 

[topgun06]

Thanks, that's very helpful guys!
To draw attention to my ninja question-edit though, do you reckon I'm going to need to heat the seeds to get them going? I doubt my room reaches 25C at this time of year :/

Ummmm. I'm sure you would be fine, might just take a little longer to get going.

Last year I used my windowsill with my curtains drawn over the top of my radiator. It kept my windowsill quite toasty

 

[Enzo]

Thanks, that's very helpful guys!
To draw attention to my ninja question-edit though, do you reckon I'm going to need to heat the seeds to get them going? I doubt my room reaches 25C at this time of year :/

But your router will......

Don't forget guys as usual I have far too many seeds if anyone wants some

I think i have the following

Choc Hab
Hot Lemon
Choc Bhut Jolokia
normal Bhut Jolokia
Bhut Jolokia finger chillies
Trinidad 7 pot
Habanero Big Sun
Large Scotch Bonnet
Naga
Cayenne
Choc Naga (new)

If anyone wants some just mail me through trust

 

[lettucefire]

after 2 years growing bolivian rainbow chillis i've opted for Explosive Ember and Habanero Orange this year. although i still have a 2 year old bolivian producing fruit (its getting hotter) and another late developer on a windowsill from last year that is still fruiting!!

 

[slowrunner]

My list is currently,

Early Jalapeno
Tam Jalapeno (mild)
Scotch Bonnet (red + orange)
Bishop's Crown
Paper Lantern
Cayenne (seeds from one of 2011's handful of pods)
Cayenne Long Slim
Habernero (red + mustard)
Numex Twilight - Ornamental
Numex Little Elf - Ornamental
Numex Pinata - Ornamental
Numex Suave (red + orange) - Habernero's without the heat

On the sweeter side,

Sweet Banana
Orange Sun
Chocolate Beauty
Califonian Wonder
Keystone Giant 3

Jalapeno's and ornamentals were sown around november, mostly because I needed something to do, rest of the hot ones went in new years eve, and the bell's can wait till march.

I'm using a £14 propagator from the orange place, but a plastic chinese meal tub on top of a router or in the boiler cupboard will do to get them going.

If you start now they'll need some light when they pop up, mine are under a 30w 6400k ("cool white") cfl lamp between 06:00 - 22:00 every day, the more serious folk use 125w-300w lights in grow tents or spare rooms!

Mine are all bound for pots, either on the patio or windowsills for the smaller ones, no greenhouse for me sadly (too many bricks going through conservatories round here).

 

[topgun06]

Can you just whack those bulbs into a £3.99 desk lamp?

 

[matt d938]

Not to be pedantic here but 6400K is Daylight colour, cool white should be 5400K IIRC

I've fell in love with Chipotles so this year I'm mostly going to be growing Jalapeño early

Also will be growing Hot choc hab, Pusa jwala and orange hab but I always get a bit giddy and end up with way more plants than I need lol

Will be using l.e.d. Grow lights again and also using Greenhouse sensations Chilligrow and Quadgrows which I fully recommend as they are excellent and the plants grow huge with a very good crop on them.

Matt

 

[SkeeterUK]

Dunno if i will do chillies again this year as my greenhouse was destroyed in the bad winds a few days ago.

Frames ok but the cover was ripped to shreds and costs are expensive for replacements.

If i do them again then probably more apache ones as they grew really well inside and outside and they do LOADS and keeps flowering well into the late season. Maybe try some others, duno about jalapenos tho i would like to because they grow so small outside or the snails get to them and nibble them causing holes and half eaten chunks. Dunno how they could climb like that but they could tho i thought it was mice or cats but they couldnt have got in the greenhouse when it was closed and i had found snails on some plants now and then.

Also when you do chillies and have loads u never know what to do with em so i had to freeze a bunch of mine, as i have limited freezer space i have a small tub of mixed chillies but mother has a 1kg bag of em lol that i and she grew last year.

Btw anyone know a good time for doing seeds for chillies and other things like tom plants this year? Duno if im gona bother but be nice to know best time to start em off.

 

[matt d938]

Amendment, 5400K is warm white

Matt

 

[slowrunner]

Yeah daylight's the one, it's just in a cheap clamp-on desk spotlight but it's working nicely.

I looked into the GS gear but basic pots will do for now, my rouge poblano last year went crazy at about 4ftx4ft and podded like mad just in a growbag with three cayennes.

 

[ash_scotland88]

I want to do chilli's this year. Do I need a heated propagator?
I was able to grow pepper seedlings with the plastic propagorthing on a window self, but that was late in the season so a lot warmer!

I am attempting peppers today
I thought I got a good deal from dobbies today:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LARGE-ERI...S-COMPOST-TROUGH-/140521010518#ht_1111wt_1163
That for a fiver. I should have read more carefully. Seeds, soil and small dish for the seeds and the big tray. Doesn't seem worth it =/

 

[Psycho Sonny]

im in scotland, after the initial stage of growing in home, could these be kept forever outside in one of these?

http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden-buildings/greenhouses/growhouses___coldframes

remember is a lot colder and rains a lot more here, etc.

or do they need to be brought inside every winter, seems tedious if you do need to bring them inside, a greenhouse would be perfect but the cost and work would be ridiculous and much cheaper just to buy chilies.

 

[LocalNative]

Grew lots of these thinking most would die as I'm not the best gardener, and now they're growing faster than I can eat them . Heaps in the garden.

 

[WillyNelson]

I'm in. Will (should) have a greenhouse on the allotment this year so I'm looking fwd to growing some nice chillies.

Have a few packets of seeds I've got free over the last year or so, don;t know what but looking forward to experimenting.

 

[clv101]

Do people grow new plants each year? We've just finished harvesting our last lot, another 300g wet weight and dried them this weekend. We're keeping the plants over winter though in the hope that they produce earlier than new plants.

 

[scruffeh]

Do people grow new plants each year? We've just finished harvesting our last lot, another 300g wet weight and dried them this weekend. We're keeping the plants over winter though in the hope that they produce earlier than new plants.

It's most common to grow new plants each year. It is possible to keep them from one year to another, but as far as I can tell, it's more for experienced growers and requires some preparation, and a little luck. You can always harvest the seeds and use them to grow your new crop.

 

[matt d938]

I always grow new each year, i dont bother with the silly hot ones as they are just way too hot for my liking and would never get used so the hottest one im growing this year is the Hot chocolate Habanero, still packs quite a punch at 600K Schoviles lol

some of my Jal earlies have started to come up, in fact there is only a few that havent now, will soon be putting the Blue led lights over the heated prop to spur them on.

The plan with the Jals is to buy a ProQ cold smoker and smoke them to make Chipotles which i have fallen in love with lol, you can buy a cold smoking kit with a box and 3 smoking grills or just use your Webber bbq ive seen, not sure which to go for at them moment, depends how many Jals 20 ish plants produce, most of these plants will be in either a Chilligrow or a Quadgrow and based on last years 3 plants i tried out (Bell pepper, Scotch bonnet and Super chilli) in one of these the plants will get huge lol

Could end up smoking chillis every other week or something like that

Matt