The 2010 Chilli growing thread - it's scorching!

CHokKA said:
Cool, I've joined the seed swap group. I only have some Cayenne's, Apache's, Bird Eye's, and F1 Super Chilli's on the go so not much to swap, but hopefully we can get something on the go :)

What's the best way to preserve the chilli plants over the winter?
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Stick em in a brown paper bag then air tight container and keep in a dark room like cupboard or somit. Somewhere where the humidity is in the 50s and temp around 20c i think.

Edit - Also google is your friend Click me for the google search of how to preserve seeds
 
SkeeterUK said:
Stick em in a brown paper bag then air tight container and keep in a dark room like cupboard or somit. Somewhere where the humidity is in the 50s and temp around 20c i think.

Edit - Also google is your friend Click me for the google search of how to preserve seeds
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Thanks Skeeter, but I wasn't after how to preserve the seeds, but the actual chilli plants themselves. I've read a few people on here manage to keep their plants through Winter, and then start getting them ready to grow chillies again in about February. I wanted to know how I could do the same as I have around 50 plants and I'd be really sad to let them all die given that all my 45 bird eye chilli plants were germinated from seed by myself.

I would have used Google, but nothing beats the advice of the veterans in this thread, which is why I asked here.
 
Anyone able to help me identify what the balls this thing is?

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If you'll excuse the crap picture, it's from my phone. It looks brown in the photo, but it's actually a vivid dark purple in the flesh. I'm stumped.
 
CHokKA said:
Thanks Skeeter, but I wasn't after how to preserve the seeds, but the actual chilli plants themselves. I've read a few people on here manage to keep their plants through Winter, and then start getting them ready to grow chillies again in about February. I wanted to know how I could do the same as I have around 50 plants and I'd be really sad to let them all die given that all my 45 bird eye chilli plants were germinated from seed by myself.

I would have used Google, but nothing beats the advice of the veterans in this thread, which is why I asked here.
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Yup, my three are overwintered from last year.

All I did is let them drop their leaves, allowing the sap to draw back by giving it a while and the cutting the stems back.
I gave them one soak and then just left them. I checked the soil just to make sure they weren't rock hard dry. I only gave them about three waters totalling less than a litre for the entire winter..
I did keep them on the window sill and they survived the outside temps being down to -15 and the sill temps of almost freezing. I'd recommend keeping them in a place that's over about 5 degC and certainly not in a draught or frosty location.

You'll know if they're alive as they're green stemmed still. Then in spring (March time) all you do is give them a little water and wait for them to wake up. They'll spout shoots and at that point ensure they have a good supply of water and possibly a little nutrients to help them build their foliage.

Other experts have suggested cutting down the root mass so that when you start them in spring they are transplanted into fresh compost and it gives the roots space to grow a little again. I didn't do that and I did find that I needed to give the nutrients over this summer.

At the end of the original thread there's a photo of them on the window sill.


I have a load of ripening fruits now. I'm going to deseed them and keep the seeds but then freeze the flesh of some in a bag and then make some into chilli flakes.
 
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I have done this Chockka and sry for the mix up. I had some bell peppers or some chilli plants (still not fruited iirc as not been lookin as mums watering while im ill with pnumonia) last year they were dying so cut em back and barely watered them, 2. So trimmed all off and it was left as a Y shape with no branches. Then the following year say feb they had some growth coming through so started watering regular and sure enough they are growing. Not like before and is very slow as been 5+ months and is green enough with leaves and stems and iirc they did try fruiting last month but i duno how it is as i have said i am ill so not being out the back to see em for ages er bout 3+ weeks now.

Up to u but personally if i had grown from seed they would have done fruit for sure by now compared to the slowness of a overwintered "cropped back" plant.
 
Interesting skeeter - my over wintered plants both fruited earlier and have more ripe fruits on. Did you feed them with food too?
 
They're forming!

Finally.. after much patience...

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I have chillis forming!.. 8 of them.. and loads more flowers still.. and loads that have yet to bloom.. I might actually get a decent crop off my single plant! :D

Happy, hope they turn out ok! :)
 
This thread's awesome - just started growing a chilli in the kitchen window, will post an update once it starts producing something exciting.
It's a bit amateur...but to be fair it's coming on nicely!
http://www.eggling.com/eggling/index.htm
:o

Also made home made chilli sauce at the weekend, tasted superb. Unfortunately my wife handed my father in law the unlabelled jar thinking it was the ginger jam my mum had sent us.. apparently it went quite well on toast. :)
 
NickK said:
Interesting skeeter - my over wintered plants both fruited earlier and have more ripe fruits on. Did you feed them with food too?
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Hi Nick. Btw them seeds u sent me before didn't germinate :( Thanks anyhow tho for them. Didnt use em all so some might still be ok. I think i'll use them next year in feb.

About the over wintering of the plants. Didn't feed them just watered but as most of the other stuff is flowered and fruiting i decided to use some of my Bio-Grow on all the plants. But mums been watering while i been ill so i duno if its helped and i only added it few weeks ago.
 
SkeeterUK said:
Hi Nick. Btw them seeds u sent me before didn't germinate :( Thanks anyhow tho for them. Didnt use em all so some might still be ok. I think i'll use them next year in feb.

About the over wintering of the plants. Didn't feed them just watered but as most of the other stuff is flowered and fruiting i decided to use some of my Bio-Grow on all the plants. But mums been watering while i been ill so i duno if its helped and i only added it few weeks ago.
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Chillis are odd with feeding - they don't need a massive strength feed, just one that has the right blend. They're also sensitive to overfeeding as some (such as the naga) have evolved for low nutrient soils.

Hmm it's a shame that your naga seeds didn't germinate. I have a far larger crop this year. I'll also leave the fruit on the plant longer (not much point in attempting a second harvest now). This should ensure that the seeds are packed with energy and increase the germination rate.

The idea of having a seed swap is good, although the way that Chilli Galore do it is they compile a list of people on a thread, then those on the list send forward on a tupperware box via recorded mail after reordering the list to minimise the travel distances involved. You provide the mail address to the person in front of you in the list.
This means if someone decides to take the seeds and leave then they have direct proof.
When you receive the box you contribute X seeds in clearly labeled species bag(s) with you as the contributor. Usually a limit of 10-15 seeds max. You then take X number of seeds that you're interested in. Reseal and send on via recorded mail to the next person.
To keep track you state on the thread when you receive it.
 
Was them yellow jalapenos not nagas. Tho nagas might be nice to grow i'd probs think they will burn me insides to death lol.

Interesting info on that way to send seeds. Me and DavidCrambe now known as VFR_KID did a successful direct swap. But if you want to arrange your own method of seed swaps then please have a go. It might be fun for most tho i think i would still prefer just to direct swap with a person or two.
 
DavidMarq said:
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A chilli harvest for your delectation. :D

Featuring, Chocolate Habanero, Orange Habanero, Mustard Habanero, Bhut Jolokia, Naga Morich, Fuego, Joe's Long and a couple of varieties of annums that I don't have names for.

Starting to see more of the larger fruit ripening now after the poor weather and will be having more pods than you can shake a stick at over the next few weeks.
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Simply AWESOME!
 
Lovely Nagas /\

A question:

My wife wants to grow a Lemon Crystal Cucumber in the greenhouse next year, this will reduce the space available for chillies by approximately three plants, should this be allowed? ;)
 
DavidMarq said:
Lovely Nagas /\

A question:

My wife wants to grow a Lemon Crystal Cucumber in the greenhouse next year, this will reduce the space available for chillies by approximately three plants, should this be allowed? ;)
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are they the round cucumbers? if so surely they dont make up much space, trail them along the top beam assuming your GH has one
 
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