Chilli peppers are one of the most satisfying and easiest of plants to grow in the greenhouse or conservatory, and they are available in a bewildering array of sizes, colours, flavours and spice. For those with sensitive taste buds there are even ones with no spice at all, whilst at the other end of the scale, for those with no taste buds and a cast iron digestive system, there are varieties that are hotter than pepper sprays.
Firstly, is it a chile, a chili or a chilli? Well, chile is favoured in Spanish speaking countries, chili is favoured in the USA, and us Brits have plumped for chilli.
I grow my chillies in the conservatory and the greenhouse. For reasons I don’t fully understand they grow best in the conservatory, perhaps it is a more consistent temperature, whilst the greenhouse gets too hot, perhaps?
You start chillies from seed very early, in January or February. However, be warned, they take a while to germinate and get going, so 2-4 weeks to germinate, and then they don’t always seem to grow much until spring is well underway. Once they get growing, I pot into large tomato pots. Depending on the variety, they can get quite large, up to head height and will need support. Unlike tomatoes, there is no need to pinch out side shoots or prune at all. The downside is that as well as tall, they can get quite bushy, and once laden with chillies the branches are likely to need supporting too.
It is important to realise the heat and flavour of chillies can be influenced by the gardener. Allowing the plant to dry out between waterings (just to the point where they start to wilt) will increase the heat. Conversely, more water will make them milder, as will too much plant food, so feed them less regularly than tomato plants.
The heat of chillies is measured in Scoville units, with the mildest being close to zero, a “medium” chilli being 2000-8000, and a hot chilli 200,000.
Some varieties to consider:
Carolina Reaper. Over 2 million Scoville units, and hotter than weapons-grade pepper spray. Extreme care is needed when handling (gloves), and fairly useless for cooking with. Grow for the novelty value only.
Scotch Bonnet. This is a very hot chilli, 200,000 Scoville units, and used a lot in Caribbean cookery. Again, care is needed when chopping. It has a very distinct flavour, so use to give your jerk chicken and rice ‘n’ peas that authentic flavour. I find it to be a little tricky to germinate and slow to get growing, but results in a medium size plant, about 1 metre/ 3 foot tall.
Trinidad Perfume. The same flavour as a scotch bonnet but with almost no spice (0-500 Scoville units). Can be tricky to germinate and grow. I’ve only successfully grown it once in three attempts. Useful for Caribbean cookery if you want to avoid spice.
Medina. A medium chilli (up to 30,000 Scoville units). Usually available as a grafted plant from Suttons. A reliable cropper, with plants getting very large. Produces very regular red chillies which are useful for winning the village show!
Jalapeno. A thick-walled mild chilli (2000-8000 Scoville units), used in Spanish and Mexican cookery. Usually picked green but will mature to red if left. A purple variety is also available. A good reliable cropper and easy to grow.
Joes Long. A relatively compact plant (1 metre/3 foot), which produces chillies up to 30cm/1 foot in length (20,000-30,000 Scoville units).
Ring of Fire. A fairly hot chilli (70,000-80,000 Scoville units), quick to mature and can be picked green or red. Useful for Thai cooking, but be warned, they pack a punch.
If you are successful and grow too many, they can be easily frozen, just pick, place in a freezer bag and freeze. They can be used straight from the freezer (I find they are easy to cut for cooking a few minutes after removing from the freezer). The only downside is that freezing reduces heat. This applies to any variety.
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