Growing your own chilli peppers means you can choose from a huge array of colours, shapes, flavours and levels of heat – a much wider range than you can buy in supermarkets. Chillies are easy to grow in pots in a greenhouse or, after starting off indoors, can be grown outdoors in a warm sunny spot.
Sowing
Sow seeds indoors from late winter to mid-spring – an early start will give you earlier and longer harvests.
Fill a small pot with seed compost, firm gently then sow a few seeds on top. Most seeds will germinate, so only sow a few more than you need, in case of losses. Cover with a fine layer of vermiculite, pop in a plant label and water.
Seeds will germinate quickly in a heated propagator at 21ºC (70ºF) or simply put the pots on a warm sunny windowsill. Place a clear plastic bag over each pot, secured with an elastic band, to raise the humidity.
As soon as seedlings appear, take the pot out of the propagator or remove the plastic bag. Keep plants at 16–18ºC (60–64ºF) in good light and water regularly.
When the seedlings are 2.5cm (1in) tall, move each one into its own small pot filled with multi-purpose compost.
If you don’t have time to sow seeds, or don’t have a suitably warm, bright place to raise good plants, then buy young chilli plants from garden centres in late spring. Grafted seedlings can also be ordered from online suppliers for delivery from mid-April. These vigorous plants are especially useful where growing conditions are a little cool.
Grow on indoors
While plants are still growing indoors, move them into larger 13cm (5in) pots when roots begin to show through the drainage holes in the base.
When they reach about 20cm (8in) tall, or if they start to lean, stake with a thin cane.
Pinch out the shoot tips when plants are about 30cm (1ft) tall to encourage lots of branches, which should give you more fruit.
By late May, move each plant into its final 22cm (9in) pot or plant three in a standard growing bag. The plants will grow and crop best if kept in a
- greenhouse
polytunnel
conservatory
coldframe
In mild parts of the country you can move them outside, once all danger of frost has passed.
Chilli plants will tolerate a minimum night temperature of 12ºC (54ºF), but better results are achieved above 15ºC (59ºF). Avoid temperatures over 30ºC (86ºF) as this can reduce fruiting.
Outdoors, chilli plants can be kept in large containers or planted in the ground in a very warm, sunny, sheltered location.
Planting out
Before planting chillies outside in late May to early June (after the last frost), harden off plants for two to three weeks. Also, warm the soil with polythene or cloches two weeks ahead of planting.
Chillies need your warmest, sunniest spot to produce a good crop outdoors. They also like well-drained, fertile, moisture-retentive soil, which is slightly acid. To achieve this, dig moderate amounts of well-rotted manure (5.4kg/10lb per sq m/yd) into the soil before planting, but avoid using fresh manure or large quantities, as this may lead to lush, leafy growth at the expense of fruit.
Space plants 38–45cm (15–18in) apart, depending on the variety. Dwarf varieties can be spaced 30cm (1ft) apart. Cover plants with fleece or cloches to provide wind protection, preferably until the end of June.
Test table
| Step no. | Step title | other info |
| 1 | Sowing | easy |
| 2 | Grow on indoors | medium |
| 3 | Planting out | hard |