2016 Chilli Growers Thread

Mark A · 11 Aug 2016 at 00:52

Cayennes make excellent chilli flakes. i was surprised how many chillies it took to make enough flakes to fill one of them small Tesco herb jars. makes the jars of chilli flakes seem pretty good value.

=

I went a bit far witht he grinding and made powder that year, but the next year I just crumbled the dry chillies into larger flakes and they were much better imo.

NickK · 11 Aug 2016 at 07:48

The important bit is to dry not cook.

Slit open the chilli, place in the bottom of the oven or in a hot conservatory (i.e. 50+degC), then leave on for a few hours at the lowest setting (this shouldn't be over about 50degC or you'll cook them). You can leave them in after switching off the oven .. and they will slowly dry out and go crispy

If they're moist or damp then the chilli flakes will go mouldy when you store them.

NickK · 11 Aug 2016 at 08:09

Also there's a way of making chilli oil without giving yourself a case of Botchalism. However I'd rather not risk that.. so I tend to dry them if I know I won't be able to use them in time.

NickK · 13 Aug 2016 at 17:23

Just picked second crop, slit them to open them up- now drying nicely.

rob250881 · 24 Aug 2016 at 11:22

Is it normal for chillies to just "stall" in their growth?
Have got 3 plants and all 3 of them don't seem to be doing anything at the moment - some have flowered, nothing is dropping, but no fruits are appearing.
The chilli plant with fruit is just dormant at the moment - there are chillies on it but in the past they had been growing and now they are staying the same size and the baby chillies aren't growing either.

CHokKA · 24 Aug 2016 at 11:36

rob250881 said:
Is it normal for chillies to just "stall" in their growth?
Have got 3 plants and all 3 of them don't seem to be doing anything at the moment - some have flowered, nothing is dropping, but no fruits are appearing.
The chilli plant with fruit is just dormant at the moment - there are chillies on it but in the past they had been growing and now they are staying the same size and the baby chillies aren't growing either.

Have you potted them on into larger pots, and given them chilli food? I haven't had a chance to do so with my chillies and they're suffering in the pots they're in and I'm guessing that the soil has run out of nutrients. That will stall growth!

Tuppy_Glossop · 24 Aug 2016 at 16:28

Choc hab first crop:

Detail:

One 7 pot Douglah and a few that were labelled as Chocolate Morouga Scorpion, but don't look very scorpion to me:

Detail of non-scorpion (no tail), ribbed like a brain strain:

Here is one of my normal Trinidad Morouga Scorpion, with the expected tail:

rob250881 · 25 Aug 2016 at 10:25

CHokKA said:
Have you potted them on into larger pots, and given them chilli food?

I feed them weekly but had been thinking that the pots were looking a little small for them as they have grown a lot recently.
Have repotted them in larger pots and will see if that makes any difference.
Fingers crossed.

#Chri5# · 25 Aug 2016 at 10:43

Started to harvest the first red Super Chillis. I reckon there's the best part of 100 on two plants alone :cool:

Also some of the baby sweet peppers are changing colour. I've never had success with these before but this is the first time I've had a greenhouse to put them in.

valve90210 · 25 Aug 2016 at 11:03

#Chri5# said:
Started to harvest the first red Super Chillis. I reckon there's the best part of 100 on two plants alone

is it one of these?

If so, any chance I might blag some seeds of you at some point? I used to have a few plants but sadly lost them all and none of the seeds I kept germinated.

It's a hot chilli, a good bit of heat and as you say masses of them on the plant!

DXP55 · 26 Aug 2016 at 14:08

I have finally lost the battle with the Aphids - only one enjoying them was the wasps - they were in and out feeding on damn things - So picked the lot and binned plants.

They (chillies) were so sticky I had to wash them in hot water first.

Will dry redun's and give some away.

rob250881 · 13 Sep 2016 at 09:21

This thread has been quiet for a while so thought I'd post a bit of an update.

The two tubs with the carolina reapers seem to be coming on now after being replanted into a bigger pot. I've been placing them outside more with the nicer weather we've been having and there are now new chillies growing on both of them so fingers crossed they may produce a nice crop shortly.

There is one plant that I'm not too sure what it is - I was sold it under the promise that it was a hot chilli but looking at it I can't make it out. I'll add some photos later.

Street · 13 Sep 2016 at 12:43

My first batch are in the dehydrator for the day. I've got loads of Habaneros and a few Jalapenos waiting to ripen before I pick them. Unfortunately I didn't get them planted till at least March this year as I'd just moved house so they're all a little bit behind.

topgun06 · 13 Sep 2016 at 13:04

Gonna take my first full crop today. I've been picking fresh ones when I've needed them but now I have way too many ready to pick.

I'll dry them also and make a chilli flake/powder.

topgun06 · 14 Sep 2016 at 10:26

Okay so I've harvested a load, need to get them drying now.

So... the best way of doing this? Slit them open and put them in the bottom of the oven for a few hours on a low temperature? Just as NickK said?

Street · 14 Sep 2016 at 15:57

I tried the oven method last year but think I had the oven up too high as they ended up burned. This year I bought a dehydrator, it cost me about £40 on Amazon and it's so much easier. Plus you can make jerky with it!

AHarvey · 14 Sep 2016 at 16:20

If anyone is interested, a local garden centre to me are having a chilli festival.

It's based on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire:

http://dorothyclivegarden.co.uk/events/event/5th-annual-chilli-festival-2016/

valve90210 · 15 Sep 2016 at 09:16

Woke up this morning to find that my scotch bonnet which had been doing really well is looking like it might have suddenly died.

It's gone from looking like this (photo a few weeks ago but plant all healthy and still looking like this):

To this:

All the leaves have gone really limp and the stems have gone brown.

Any thoughts on what may have caused this and has my plant completely died?

rob250881 · 15 Sep 2016 at 12:39

This is the plant that I'm not sure what sort of chilli it is.
The chillies themselves are very light, yellow / off white.

I was told that this was a Carolina Reaper but the chillies growing on this don't look like it to me.

Sorry that they are blurry but these are the chillies growing on the other Carolina Reaper plant, these look more like it with the signature tail on the chillies.

Brozart · 15 Sep 2016 at 13:54

rob250881 said:
This is the plant that I'm not sure what sort of chilli it is.
The chillies themselves are very light, yellow / off white.

White Bhut Jolokia peppers?