The 2011 Chilli growing thread - it's scorching!

randal · 17 Jan 2011 at 11:58

Seeds arrived safe and sound this morning, cheers Nick. Perfect timing for planting at my new place.

Aero · 17 Jan 2011 at 12:48

Just ordered some seeds online today so hopefully will be sorting this out this week. I'm not going to plant as many as last year as I had to give a lot away!!!! And I struggled to do so.
Also this year I need to establish a method for stopping my cat from tipping them over like he did last year.... causing a lot of soil everywhere!!!! lil sod (I think he likes the smell)

I've gone for some extra long ones this year 30cm so it will be interesting to see how they go!

Emlyn_Dewar · 17 Jan 2011 at 13:06

Thinking about growing a "generic supermarket chilli" plant at work this year as temperature in the IT office is quite toasty during the day, we also get plenty of light.
More stable conditions than back at the flat anyway, coldness!

Anyone else with plants in the workplace?

Only ever grown once before, even in the flat with limited sunlight and colder temperatures the plant seemed to produce a good amount of fruit.

NickK · 17 Jan 2011 at 16:22

Just need to keep an eye on the temps. Also you still want some ventilation otherwise the box will become very humid. This may cause the light electrics a problem and may also add to issues of mold/fungus.

Ahleckz · 17 Jan 2011 at 18:00

No one answered my initial post.

I live in a flat, that doesn't get that much sun (ground floor, and surrounded by 4 story buildings, only west and east facing windows) and isn't that warm either (for the same reasons). Are there any particular types of chilli that I could attempt to grow? I can make one room (East facing window) warmer if that would help. Am I doomed in my hunt for home grown chillis?

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 17 Jan 2011 at 18:09

Nick,

seeds arrived today, thanks fella.

Just deciding when to start my growing this year. left it late last year due to going skiing March, so I either have to start soon or leave it till after March skiiing again this year. tricky.

A.N.Other · 17 Jan 2011 at 18:19

Ahleckz said:
No one answered my initial post.
I live in a flat, that doesn't get that much sun (ground floor, and surrounded by 4 story buildings, only west and east facing windows) and isn't that warm either (for the same reasons). Are there any particular types of chilli that I could attempt to grow? I can make one room (East facing window) warmer if that would help. Am I doomed in my hunt for home grown chillis?

I grew all my chillis from last year on a east-facing windowsill (above a radiator, though it isn't on all that often). I haven't had an issue growing different types, they're just not all that fast. Last year I grew seeds from supermarket chillis (which I assume to be a fast and relatively pest-resistant cultivar) and they were fine, though my crop wasn't too large. They're still going strong, though, so hopefully it should be a different story this year.

Yazyaz1 · 17 Jan 2011 at 19:12

I wanna start growing chilli, what would be a good start? (Jalapeno?)

NickK · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:18

Jalapenos are simple to grow and take pretty much any abuse you can give. They're heavy fruiters too so you may find yourself swimming in them is you grow too many plants!

NickK · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:22

Ahleckz said:
No one answered my initial post.
I live in a flat, that doesn't get that much sun (ground floor, and surrounded by 4 story buildings, only west and east facing windows) and isn't that warm either (for the same reasons). Are there any particular types of chilli that I could attempt to grow? I can make one room (East facing window) warmer if that would help. Am I doomed in my hunt for home grown chillis?

hmm the hotter the chilli, usually the more they like hot weather to fruit properly. So I'd like something like Jalapenos then try growing a hotter variety such as Pusa Jwala which will make really authentic curries.

Yazyaz1 · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:39

NickK said:
Jalapenos are simple to grow and take pretty much any abuse you can give. They're heavy fruiters too so you may find yourself swimming in them is you grow too many plants!

Cheers

Gonna order my seeds now

Ahleckz · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:43

NickK said:
hmm the hotter the chilli, usually the more they like hot weather to fruit properly. So I'd like something like Jalapenos then try growing a hotter variety such as Pusa Jwala which will make really authentic curries.

Not particularly interested in Jalapenos, but will try and get hold of some Pusa Jwala seeds. I guess the best way to find out if it works is trying it eh? Will nip down B&Q at the weekend and get some pots and what not.

A[L]C · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:55

Anyone got any spare seeds please?

NickK · 17 Jan 2011 at 20:57

A[L]C;18251784 said:
Anyone got any spare seeds please?

Yup, although this week the night temps are -1 which means if they're sat in a mailbox etc they may get killed off by frost. Give me a ping through trust and I'll try and get something out to coincide with the warm spell later this week.

Alternatively there's a seed swapping social group

Enzo · 17 Jan 2011 at 21:29

A[L]C;18251784 said:
Anyone got any spare seeds please?

I also have some left, let me know and if NickK runs out i'll help out

Yazyaz1 · 18 Jan 2011 at 18:44

NickK said:
Yup, although this week the night temps are -1 which means if they're sat in a mailbox etc they may get killed off by frost. Give me a ping through trust and I'll try and get something out to coincide with the warm spell later this week.

Alternatively there's a seed swapping social group

Anybody want some aubergine seeds lol?

arknor · 20 Jan 2011 at 21:12

AcidHell2 said:
As NicKK says i tried LED and they are a gimmick and just make a pretty light and do nothing, avoid at all costs.

the cheap ones are a con they use far to low powerd leds, the LED's that you actually need cost around 8 pounds each, those 25 pound grow boards are just a scam unless you wantt o gro algae.

the expensive LED's like the ufo ones that cost over £100 are fairly good but your still better off with like a 125w..

im just buying a cheap 65/85 watt cfl i think to get my seedlings going before we get any sunny weather

tempted to get a 125W + hanger a roll of mylar reflective sheeting which including delivery would cost £34.65 from www.3ch.co.uk which seems to be about the cheapest.

i think my missus would go nuts if she saw i had a 12inch bulb going though :mad:

i could probably stealth a 65-85watt

thepeganator · 20 Jan 2011 at 22:58

Planted some chillis up yesterday, two pots for Habaneros and three for Jalapeños.
Came in a packet from the girlfriend for christmas, so not expecting a hell of a lot of success, but I hope I get something out of it.

All on a south facing windowsill in my bedroom, above a radiator.

Water in the saucers is being topped up regularly, and some in the top too.

Hoping for germination in a few days!

Put more than one seed in each pot to hopefully increase my chances of successful germination, but I plan to remove excess plants if more than one decide to grow

neb1355 · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:29

Got my first grow lamp today! 125W CFL Blue Spectrum bulb with reflector.

Managed to rig something up using an old clothes horse thing and then sealed it together with Mylar and a carboard front door... it's surprisingly sturdy

I won't post full pictures because i'm still embarrased with my use of sticky tape!

First of all... I learnt the hard way...

Lamp was way too high. Seedlings seemed to stretch

Finally I managed to get it right. Now it's about 2-3 Inches above. Hopefully most of the seedlings will recover! :rolleyes:

NickK · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:36

You'll want to stake the top heavy seedlings to support their stems. Then just run an old PC fan at them as the breeze so they move a little. The result will be that the stems thicken and they'll soon be supporting their own weight.

If the stems aren't trained to grow straight then you'll have an adult plant with the same problem. Plants like that are a pain as they need support.