2024 Chilli Growing Thread

Didn't grow any superhots this year, feeling the fomo did grow Jalapenos, Padron, Aleppo and Balalaika this year! I used a diesel heater this year to get my seedlings in the greenhouse earlier but tbh not sure if it was worth the additional effort!

 
Just had one jalapeno on the grow this year. Not a bad haul but nowhere near some of my bigger crops in previous years. Didn't have the time to dedicate to it this year but hope to get back to it next year.
Getting colder now though so will probably resign it to being indoors for it, it had a big growth spurt in July/August when we were having those really hot days.

One thing i've never been able to do successfully is overwinter them.

Does anyone have a fool proof way of doing it as i'm thinking of harvesting this in a week or so? A couple are darkening and probably going to start going red but not sure weve many sunny days left in the locker.

 
Didn't grow any superhots this year, feeling the fomo did grow Jalapenos, Padron, Aleppo and Balalaika this year! I used a diesel heater this year to get my seedlings in the greenhouse earlier but tbh not sure if it was worth the additional effort!

Jalapeno chillis are part of the Capsicum annuum family of chillis, annuum's are very hard to over winter(would not bother trying to over winter any chilli that are part of the annuum family), been growing chillis way over 25 years, i only ever over winter the Chinese-type of chillies, these are the hots/super hots usually, like my 10 year old over wintered Fatalii, Habanero, Scotch bonnet, Trinidad scorpion, Pepper X, 7-Pot, loads more, any chilli that is over 250,000 Scoville are usually Chinese type.
 
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Ahhhh good to know. So rinse and repeat on things like jalapenos and anything that is mild? Gotcha.
Yeh, as they don't need a early start really, so just grow fresh each year, hots/super hots need a good long summer, so they really benefit from being over wintered.
 
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Carolina Reapers, Red Naga and Chocolate Naga here, grown from seed since February this year. I had them in a seedling mix compost in propagators with a heat mat underneath. When they sprouted and grew a little I moved them into larger pots with some perlite and other soil/compost (Home Bargains stuff).

They've barely grown. One Carolina Reaper is doing considerably better than the rest, but still it's barely 4 inches tall...

They have been watered regularly, from the saucer under the pot. I've even added some seaweed feed to the water when I couldn't see much happening. That did nothing..
Whether they're on a windowsill, in the cloche or a raised planter, they're all progressing at the same rate.

With my very basic knowledge on growing chillies, I'm thinking it's the compost/soil I've used that gave such a bad start. Since I used a variety of seeds I'm not sure they could all be duds, could they?
Is it possible that during propagation I've cooked them a little too much with the heat mat and they've been stunted?

What should I do with the tiny plants? Is there a chance year 2 will be better?
 
Super hots are the hardest to grow, but good seeds usually sprout ok, i am thinking bad compost myself, could be the seeds thou(depending where you got them from), if there like just 4 inches tall, after a long growing season, just chuck them and start again next year, i don't think there worth over wintering, they need to be a mature plant to be over wintered really, i suggest you buy some plug plant chilli's, let the nursery do all the hard work, then grow them on yourself, with good compost from a garden centre or nursery to be sure, good growing guides on most chilli nursery websites.

https://southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/

https://seaspringplants.co.uk/product-category/chilli-plug-plants/
 
Super hots are the hardest to grow, but good seeds usually sprout ok, i am thinking bad compost myself, could be the seeds thou(depending where you got them from), if there like just 4 inches tall, after a long growing season, just chuck them and start again next year, i don't think there worth over wintering, they need to be a mature plant to be over wintered really, i suggest you buy some plug plant chilli's, let the nursery do all the hard work, then grow them on yourself, with good compost from a garden centre or nursery to be sure, good growing guides on most chilli nursery websites.

https://southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/

https://seaspringplants.co.uk/product-category/chilli-plug-plants/

I bought plants three to four inches tall from a local nursery for about two pounds each after my seeds failed to sprout. I have higher hopes this year having collected seeds from these plants which grew up to a metre tall and produced a lot of ripe chillis.
 
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Looks like I know what I'll be doing next year. Thanks!

Try a Cayenne type called Ring of Fire, they are easy and reliable to grow.

I grew 4 from seeds this year, I put them in a heated propergator on 1st Feb.

Took less than a week for them all to sprout.

Used two 10 watt grown lights for 12 hours a day indoors until it was nice enough to put them outside in the glasshouse in the day and eventually out in the glasshouse full time.

I had the first ripe one on June 6th and still have ripe ones on the plants today.
 
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Just had one jalapeno on the grow this year. Not a bad haul but nowhere near some of my bigger crops in previous years. Didn't have the time to dedicate to it this year but hope to get back to it next year.
Getting colder now though so will probably resign it to being indoors for it, it had a big growth spurt in July/August when we were having those really hot days.

One thing i've never been able to do successfully is overwinter them.

Does anyone have a fool proof way of doing it as i'm thinking of harvesting this in a week or so? A couple are darkening and probably going to start going red but not sure weve many sunny days left in the locker.

when the sun light gets less and the days darker thats when things ripen cause of less sun. we probably got 2 maybe 3 weeks before frost kicks in.
 
Jalapeno chillis are part of the Capsicum annuum family of chillis, annuum's are very hard to over winter(would not bother trying to over winter any chilli that are part of the annuum family), been growing chillis way over 25 years, i only ever over winter the Chinese-type of chillies, these are the hots/super hots usually, like my 10 year old over wintered Fatalii, Habanero, Scotch bonnet, Trinidad scorpion, Pepper X, 7-Pot, loads more, any chilli that is over 250,000 Scoville are usually Chinese type.
Yea I’ve been growing a long time too, I don’t over winter not worth the hassle but I own a seed company called Grown Local so we do a lot of trials throughout the year the diesel heater is to get a head start up here in sunny Scotland!
 
not sure if to over winter my two ghost pepper plants...if its worth the hassle...i think i will try it just for science learning tbh. if it works its a bonus if it dont i learnt i done it wrong :D
 
Got a couple of Trinidad Scorpions off my dad. Bright deep red colour with the little "sting" on the end. Cut right off the plant yesterday and 1x is going in my curry in about 20 mins.... Should be interesting :o

He has about 8 plants in his greenhouse. Ghost pepper and Trinidad Scorpion and some others. All just turned ripe or ripening now :D
 
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