Urban Chilli Lovers Club

[a_chap]

I've been making some very good sauces with roasted tomatoes and garlic and dried habanero peppers.

Sound yummy!

They are store in the fridge and consume within 1 week

I freeze mine in little plastic containers. Keeps just fine for months if necessary.

Nate bought home some scotch bonnet sauce from the restaurant where he has been working as a line chef this week, and it is delicious but OMG, my heat tolerance stops at hot hot, rather than hot hot hot hot! It did taste really delicious though, I find scotch bonnets have a particular taste, and that came through really well. Then I was worried about my upper gastric tract.

Don't ever, EVER have any of my sauces then

 

[existentialist]

How are everyone’s chilli plants doing? Most of mine faded away tbh, I have about three which might be viable but on checking this morning I saw my largest one had tiny ants crowding around the tips. Mr Google suggests sprinkling some chilli powder on the soil around the plant to discourage the ants, who are apparently engaged in farming aphids on my chilli plant.

Any of you more experienced growers got any tips for this situation please?

View attachment 174645

My chillis didn't do at all well. I had them on my kitchen windowsill in full sun, but they never grew, and stayed sort of yellow-y. I think these windows might have Special Glass that stops all the good bits of the sunlight from beaming its way in - is that plausible?

 

[a_chap]

The place I bought my chilli plants from gives away this leaflet:





LOOKING AFTER YOUR PLANT

Potting on.
Once your chilli plant is about 6 inches tall and the
roots are visible at the bottom of the pot it is time for potting on.
any thing between a 2 & 4 It. pot depending on the type Of chilli,
some Of the very large ones, Lemon Drop, Padron or Fatalie will
need a 6 lt. pot. Many of the taller varieties Will need a small
cane for support. ChiIIies do not mind being a little pot bound, in
fact many benefit.

Start feeding your chilli plant with a high
nitrogen feed at half strength, Miracle Grow or Chempak twice
a week. Later on once the plant has started to produce flowers
and fruit switch to a high potash feed such as a tomato feed
and feed weekly.

Do not let the plant dry out completely but
also be careful not to over water. You may wish to pinch Out the
growing shoot to make a more bushy plant. If you put your plant
outside during the summer in a sheltered spot it Will strengthen
the plant making a Stronger plant to over winter. If the weather
is very hot a spray/misting is beneficial.

Pick fruit when ripe to
encourage more fruit to develop. The plant should be brought
into a warm position during the winter about the end of August
or September. Min. temp. 8-10 deg,C Remove any yellowing
leaves and a light pruning may be required on the larger
Varieties. Continue feeding whist still fruiting.

Pick all by
Christmas to give the plant a rest. Keep an eye open for green
fly/aphids. May be treated With an organic spray/garlic spray or
soap spray. Alternatively do some companion planting and
grow French Marigolds or basil nearby. In spring prune lightly
and start feeding again with a nitrogen feed.

Most chilli plants are three year perennials.

 

[MrCurry]

My chillis didn't do at all well. I had them on my kitchen windowsill in full sun, but they never grew, and stayed sort of yellow-y. I think these windows might have Special Glass that stops all the good bits of the sunlight from beaming its way in - is that plausible?

Sounds reasonable. The 12 seeds I started all sprouted but only one really turned into a strong plant from which I’ve had nearly 20 chillies. That one was closest to the window so I do think these plants are very sensitive to the amount / quality of light they receive when they’re tiny.

The place I bought my chilli plants from gives away this leaflet:


LOOKING AFTER YOUR PLANT
.

Really good info, thanks for sharing. I haven’t done any of that, but will try to remember it for next year when I’ll have another go.

 

[friedaweed]

Seeing some very unusual shapes and sizes from our growing bonanza this year. Have about 2 kilo in the freezer ready for this years chilli sauce making. Got a feeling this year's is going to be off the scale. The little tiny ones are a Thai hybrid and blow your socks off in a salsa.

A lot of the outdoor ones are late this year but they're all starting to turn now. Last years was phenomenal but I think this year is going to be a good crop as well.

How's everyone else getting on?

 

[friedaweed]

Also I will have some seeds from this years plants to pass on if anyone would want a mixed pack to have a go at growing some next year.

 

[a_chap]

Also I will have some seeds from this years plants to pass on if anyone would want a mixed pack to have a go at growing some next year.

Damn. I've literally only just ordered a mixed bag of chilli seeds as well.

 

[friedaweed]

Damn. I've literally only just ordered a mixed bag of chilli seeds as well.

You can never have tooooOOO many chilli plants.

 

[a_chap]

If I sow all the chilli seeds I've ordered I'll need an extra acre of garden!

As it is the only way I could grow even half the plants would be if I construct a greenhouse on top of our garage. Naturally I'm contemplating that. Even more naturally I've not breathed a word about it to the wife...

 

[seeformiles]

Here’s a sample of the harvest so far but the big hitters are just getting into their stride..

 

[friedaweed]

If I sow all the chilli seeds I've ordered I'll need an extra acre of garden!

As it is the only way I could grow even half the plants would be if I construct a greenhouse on top of our garage. Naturally I'm contemplating that. Even more naturally I've not breathed a word about it to the wife...

I built a chilli ladder garden this year which i think is further up the thread. It cost nowt really and has worked well. We've grown 15 varieties in that.



We've cropped off it all year long (Some varieties better than others) and then we've done loads of window boxes and clay pots and pinched plants out to stay small and squat so we can grow lots of different types but still get enough flowers to try each variety.



I suppose I'm rather lucky in that Narnia is as daft as me for chillis and her big kids are our main tasters when they all turn up for some scran We only ended up with so many this year because we sowed seeds late, I ordered some plugs thinking we were too late with our seeds and then the plugs didn't arrive so I moaned to the plug company, they sent some more plus extras, they all turned up together with the original order and then the seeds took off when we went away and left the heating on.

At one point we went into tipple figures We have given so many plants away this year to people though which has been really lovely to do and a number of them have given us chillis off their crops. I reckon we've got at least another half dozen growing addicts started this year and the freezer is bursting for our annual chilli sauce binge

They are such a wonderful plant to grow.

Obsessed....moi?

 

[friedaweed]

View attachment 183419 Here’s a sample of the harvest so far but the big hitters are just getting into their stride..

Yes

 

[ash]

I built a chilli ladder garden this year which i think is further up the thread. It cost nowt really and has worked well. We've grown 15 varieties in that.

View attachment 183418

We've cropped off it all year long (Some varieties better than others) and then we've done loads of window boxes and clay pots and pinched plants out to stay small and squat so we can grow lots of different types but still get enough flowers to try each variety.

View attachment 183420

I suppose I'm rather lucky in that Narnia is as daft as me for chillis and her big kids are our main tasters when they all turn up for some scran We only ended up with so many this year because we sowed seeds late, I ordered some plugs thinking we were too late with our seeds and then the plugs didn't arrive so I moaned to the plug company, they sent some more plus extras, they all turned up together with the original order and then the seeds took off when we went away and left the heating on.

At one point we went into tipple figures We have given so many plants away this year to people though which has been really lovely to do and a number of them have given us chillis off their crops. I reckon we've got at least another half dozen growing addicts started this year and the freezer is bursting for our annual chilli sauce binge

They are such a wonderful plant to grow.

Obsessed....moi?

Wow - I have been an admiring lurker on this thread and love your chillis. I would love some seeds if you have some left after the chilli thread regulars have put in their orders.

 

[klang]

Also I will have some seeds from this years plants to pass on if anyone would want a mixed pack to have a go at growing some next year.

would love some. next year will be growing year for me. my garden gets about half a day of sun, do you think that will do?
let's pm

 

[klang]

i have one chilli plant this year, it was doing fine in the kitchen window, but since i moved it into the garden it looks rather sad. i've given up on a crop.

 

[The39thStep]

I built a chilli ladder garden this year which i think is further up the thread. It cost nowt really and has worked well. We've grown 15 varieties in that.

View attachment 183418

We've cropped off it all year long (Some varieties better than others) and then we've done loads of window boxes and clay pots and pinched plants out to stay small and squat so we can grow lots of different types but still get enough flowers to try each variety.

View attachment 183420

I suppose I'm rather lucky in that Narnia is as daft as me for chillis and her big kids are our main tasters when they all turn up for some scran We only ended up with so many this year because we sowed seeds late, I ordered some plugs thinking we were too late with our seeds and then the plugs didn't arrive so I moaned to the plug company, they sent some more plus extras, they all turned up together with the original order and then the seeds took off when we went away and left the heating on.

At one point we went into tipple figures We have given so many plants away this year to people though which has been really lovely to do and a number of them have given us chillis off their crops. I reckon we've got at least another half dozen growing addicts started this year and the freezer is bursting for our annual chilli sauce binge

They are such a wonderful plant to grow.

Obsessed....moi?

The ones in the first photo are similar to some that I’ve got but I can’t remember what they are as I saved the seed. Mine turn yellow do yours?

 

[friedaweed]

Wow - I have been an admiring lurker on this thread and love your chillis. I would love some seeds if you have some left after the chilli thread regulars have put in their orders.

would love some. next year will be growing year for me. my garden gets about half a day of sun, do you think that will do?
let's pm

We will have loads of seeds because we're going to dry a load this year so anyone who wants some just drop us a pm and we'll send a mixed bag. We also have a load of seeds we purchased from top breeders which we mill mix in with out lot. You can grow them on the window or in the garden. We just see what comes up.

The only thing you will need to be aware of is that some will be super hot because we cross pollinated quite a few with some of the badass mutha fuckers this year We mostly grow hot ones that you can eat without a trip to A&E though.

All at your own risk

 

[friedaweed]

i have one chilli plant this year, it was doing fine in the kitchen window, but since i moved it into the garden it looks rather sad. i've given up on a crop.

Is it flowering?

 

[klang]

Is it flowering?

it has two tiny thingies which could be a very modest excuse for a flower.

 

[The39thStep]

i have one chilli plant this year, it was doing fine in the kitchen window, but since i moved it into the garden it looks rather sad. i've given up on a crop.

Keep it on the kitchen window then but remember to give it a little bit of feed. My experience in the UK was that unless you have a suntrap outside they are better off indoors or under glass of polythene . Also depends which part of the country you are in. Here in south Portugal chillis are one of the few plants that survive the heat in the summer tbh.

 

[friedaweed]

The ones in the first photo are similar to some that I’ve got but I can’t remember what they are as I saved the seed. Mine turn yellow do yours?

The long ones? Yeah they're Hot Banana and are lovely in a salad. They've been quite prolific for us this year. We're going to pickle the last lot.

 

[The39thStep]

The long ones? Yeah they're Hot Banana and are lovely in a salad. They've been quite prolific for us this year. We're going to pickle the last lot.

Cheers pal , I remember buying the seeds now , quite few years ago .

 

[friedaweed]

it has two tiny thingies which could be a very modest excuse for a flower.

Yeah bring it back in and give it a feed. We'd stopped feeding ours now so they finish off but you can keep them going over winter in doors and any chillis that are on them will crop eventually. We've got some naga and Bhot varieties that we've brought in and they have only just started to fruit.

 

[friedaweed]

Keep it on the kitchen window then but remember to give it a little bit of feed. My experience in the UK was that unless you have a suntrap outside they are better off indoors or under glass of polythene . Also depends which part of the country you are in. Here in south Portugal chillis are one of the few plants that survive the heat in the summer tbh.

I'd love to have your summer mate. Bit different to an allotment in Manchester hey?

 

[klang]

will give it a go, thanks.
might just move it to my front garden, which faces south-ish.

 

[The39thStep]

I'd love to have your summer mate. Bit different to an allotment in Manchester hey?

For growing anything the summer is shite tbh in the Algarve . It’s just too hot and it’s only possible if you spend a small fortune on water, build structures with dense green netting to provide some shade and find some decent soil which again is difficult . The soil here tends to be bright red clay sort of stuff with loads of stones. I had a veg garden built with soil but it’s very sandy .Aside from chillis the only thing I grow in summer are cucumbers in large containers with compost I’ve made over the winter , courgettes similarly , peppers but with very mixed results, blackberries , lemons, oranges, grapes and I’ll post some pictures of my first mangoes over the weekend . Some people near me grow figs and pomegranates which are ready just about ready . Tomatoes unless under shade are finished by June .its still 32/33c during the day here and it last rained in April and it won’t rain again until November. Everyone goes to the shops to buy veg normally grown in the centre or the north. Having said that I’ve cropped lettuce in December and January.
Yup Manchester was different a couple of weeks of sun , rain , humidity and the entire potato and tomato crop decimated by blight lol. Don’t get much carrot fly here though. You’ll have to come over .

 

[seeformiles]

Might be a good idea to have a chilli pepper exchange? We could send each other fresh pepper samples of everything we’ve been growing so folks can try, remove seeds, dry and plant next season. Who’s in?

 

[friedaweed]

For growing anything the summer is shite tbh in the Algarve . It’s just too hot and it’s only possible if you spend a small fortune on water, build structures with dense green netting to provide some shade and find some decent soil which again is difficult . The soil here tends to be bright red clay sort of stuff with loads of stones. I had a veg garden built with soil but it’s very sandy .Aside from chillis the only thing I grow in summer are cucumbers in large containers with compost I’ve made over the winter , courgettes similarly , peppers but with very mixed results, blackberries , lemons, oranges, grapes and I’ll post some pictures of my first mangoes over the weekend . Some people near me grow figs and pomegranates which are ready just about ready . Tomatoes unless under shade are finished by June .its still 32/33c during the day here and it last rained in April and it won’t rain again until November. Everyone goes to the shops to buy veg normally grown in the centre or the north. Having said that I’ve cropped lettuce in December and January.
Yup Manchester was different a couple of weeks of sun , rain , humidity and the entire potato and tomato crop decimated by blight lol. Don’t get much carrot fly here though. You’ll have to come over .

Would love to mate. We have a plan hatching on a road trip taking in the old way and down into Portugal but we put it off this year due to buying a house which has dragged on and is likely to drag on further now. Happy to see you've made a plot in the sun though even if giant leaks are off the menu

I bet you miss growing beetroots Hehe.

Enjoy the sun on your back though

 

[Supine]

I'm thinking I should leave this club and rejoin when I'm not growing them in the Lake District. Very jealous of all your chilli crops. Good efforts

 

[friedaweed]

Might be a good idea to have a chilli pepper exchange? We could send each other fresh pepper samples of everything we’ve been growing so folks can try, remove seeds, dry and plant next season. Who’s in?

I'm all over that