Growing Chillies

What to do

How to sow seeds

• Sow seeds anytime between January to March.
• Fill a seed or cell tray with multi-purpose compost, level and tap to settle. Lightly firm.
• Scatter the seeds of your chosen variety thinly on top.
• Cover with a fine layer of vermiculite or more compost, water and label - this is important to help you identify them if sowing several varieties.
• You can now use a heated propagator, although putting a clear plastic bag over the top, securing with a rubber band and placing on a windowsill will also work well. Chillies do need temperatures of around 75°F (24°C) to germinate and should take around 2 weeks although some varieties can take longer.

After germination

• Your seeds should start to appear in about ten days to two weeks. Remove the pot from the propagator or take off the bag, and place on a light windowsill. Ensure the compost does not dry out.

Potting up seedlings

• When seedlings are about 2cm tall they can be moved to their own pot. Carefully loosen the compost, then gently hold a leaf and lift, while levering from beneath the roots.
• Fill a 7.5cm pot with multipurpose compost, level and tap to settle.
• Make a hole in the centre of the compost and lower in the seedling, until the leaves are just above the surface of the soil.
• Gently firm, water and label each plant. Keep plants in a light place, such as a windowsill or greenhouse.
• When roots show at the bottom of the pots, move into a bigger, 12cm pot, filled with multipurpose compost.

Aftercare

• When plants reach about 20cm tall give them some support by staking with a small cane or peastick and securing with garden twine.
• When they're about 30cm pinch out growing tips to increase branching.
• At the end of May plants can go outside. Pot them into their final container - a 5-litre pot will do. As the plants grow, swap the small stakes for a larger cane.
• In hot weather you may need to water twice a day. These plants are incredibly thirsty and dry compost will quickly lead to a check in growth. This applies particularly to plants grown in a greenhouse, where it can get very hot even in late summer.
• The first flowers will appear when the plants are quite small. When this happens feed weekly with a liquid feed high in potash, such as tomato fertiliser.

Harvesting

• Fruits can be harvested between July and October. Chilli peppers can be picked green or left longer to turn red.
• Before the autumn frosts, sever the plants completely and hang the branches upside down so the fruit continues to mature.