How to grow your own chillies
Whether you love fiery hot variety or the milder kind, there’s a chilli for every taste, making them one of the world’s most popular flavourings. Growing them at home is easy and will ensure you always have fresh chillies on hand to give your meals that extra pop.
When?
During the hot season. Chillies germinate readily from seeds and grow rapidly in warmth. You can sow them indoors around the end of winter and plant seedlings outside during spring (earlier if it’s a hot area, later if its cooler).
Where?
Originated from hot climates, chillies need a warm, sunny spot that is shaded from strong wind. They thrive in warm areas but if you’re experiencing a particularly harsh summer, a shade cloth can help prevent sunscald or fruit set.
What?
Chillies grow best in top-quality, well-drained and well-composted soil that is neutral to acidic. They can be grown in the ground but as shallow-rooted plants, grow well in containers and pots too. Between a 20 to 40cm pot can be used depending on the variety and room you have to grow.
Care?
Fertilising is often unnecessary but if you find your chilli plants need some, use an organic fertiliser after flowering and while fruiting. Harvest regularly as it encourages the plant to set more flowers and produce more fruit. Prune lightly.
Harvest?
Chillies are the perfect plant for the impatient gardener as they can be eaten and thus picked at just about anytime. The chillies have different flavours at different stages of growth and dishes will call for certain ones. They are hottest when ripest, which for many varieties is the well-known bright red colour although some are green, yellow or orange when ripe. In fact, even when the chillies are all shrivelled up on the bush, you can thread them on some string and store them to use later in cooking.
Are you an avid gardener? You might want to read our Top gardening tips from the Over60 community.