Chillies - growing and overwintering 2019

[Small pumpkin]

^^^^ yes, Sp's the nutter .

Don't tell everyone

There must be someone that's not noticed

[Mitzi]

Hi everyone!

First post on here so hope a question is OK!

Have always been excited by chillies and last year we were lucky to take on an allotment which had on it a 3m x 6m polytunnel. I had some chilli seeds for Christmas (Scotch Bonnet, Cayenne and Jalapeno) which I sowed into propagators on an upstairs south facing windowsill in the middle of February. They germinated with great results, and I ended up with some great chilli flakes, pickled jalapenos and scotch bonnet sweet chilli sauce at the end of the year. This year I've gone a bit daft and bought the following:

Orange Habanero
Chocolate Habanero
Johnson's Carribean Blend
Lemon Drop
Lancer
Jalapeno
Sivri Biber (Turkish mild pepper)
2 x variety sweet pepper
2 x variety bell pepper

I wanted to be a bit more organised this year, so wondered when I could start sowing them, particularly the hotter ones, so any advice greatly welcome!

I have heated and unheated propagators, and a warm upstairs room with a large south facing windowsill. After that I have a heated (frost free) green house (where they lived in April and May last year) and their eventual place will be in a large unheated polytunnel (last year they moved in first week of June).

Thanks!

Your chillies/peppers are so lucky! It sounds like you are already doing really well and have the perfect set up. You have everything you need except maybe a grow light or two? South facing windowsills are fine when it's sunny like today but here we've had unremitting greyness for weeks now and so they would struggle for enough light. Maybe you can rig up a reflector behind the windowsill (Geoff Hamilton style for those old enough to remember him) to bounce some light back on to them. Or just plant them deeper when you are potting on.

If you want to start them all at the same time then I'd probably wait until the start of February. If you are happy to do it in relays then you could start habaneros and scotch bonnets now, followed by Lemon Drop and probably the bell peppers (never grown those but I think they need a fairly long season) and the rest of them in early February.

Anyway, welcome to the Vine and happy growing!

I agree with SP, the super hots need a long season, especially the habs.

None of those are superhots. Hot yes but not superhot.

[Scarlet]

None of those are superhots. Hot yes but not superhot.

The chocolate hab is definitely a super hot and all habaneros have a long marturing time.

[Chrissyteacup]

Hey Mitzi I think it’s in the AJI family rather then being a habanero.
Comparing it to Trinidad perfume it was definitely more fruity, I can’t really say how it compares to traditional habaneros as I’m far to new at this to be able to say! Hope this helps!

[1Bee]

My one and only chilli, which overwintered happily last year, has kicked the bucket this year in exactly the same conditions. Sighs.

Now to decide whether to grow from seed or buy a plant... I only have room/need for two or three plants.

By the way, thank you to those of you who advised to just freeze the handful of chillies I got whole. It's been lovely to just hoick one out the freezer when needed and they have been utterly delicious.

[andypagett]

^^^^ yes, Sp's the nutter

From reading last year's version of this thread, it seems it! How many different varieties of chilli?!!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Looks like I'm good to get started with the hotter ones then, with the others following?

I might aim for the following:
This weekend 12/13 Jan - Habs
Next weekend (19/20 Jan) - Hot chilli mix + Lemon Drop
26/27 Jan - Jalapenos + Turkish mild pepper (if they have arrived)
2/3 Feb - Other peppers

How does that sound? Or too early for some of them?

Re growlights - any suggestions as to what I should be looking for? I see from Amazon that I could spend anything from £20 to £700+ ... any tips on what I should be looking for in terms of size / power? Given the setting on the south facing window sill I assume it would be supplementary rather than main source of light. Certainly last year's crop which was started mid Feb did OK without lights.

[benb89]

Sorry if im miles off the mark here, but last night after getting everything out ready to start over the weekend I am now panicking the window I planned to use may not be large enough once everything needs re-potting etc. I have an outhouse with a window but I can set lighting up to ensure they receive enough light, my only concern is its not heated so gets cold. If I was to place the plants in the outhouse once they are ready to come out of the heated prop what sort of temperature needs to be maintained in the outhouse?

[Small pumpkin]

From reading last year's version of this thread, it seems it! How many different varieties of chilli?!!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Looks like I'm good to get started with the hotter ones then, with the others following?

I might aim for the following:
This weekend 12/13 Jan - Habs
Next weekend (19/20 Jan) - Hot chilli mix + Lemon Drop
26/27 Jan - Jalapenos + Turkish mild pepper (if they have arrived)
2/3 Feb - Other peppers

How does that sound? Or too early for some of them?

Re growlights - any suggestions as to what I should be looking for? I see from Amazon that I could spend anything from £20 to £700+ ... any tips on what I should be looking for in terms of size / power? Given the setting on the south facing window sill I assume it would be supplementary rather than main source of light. Certainly last year's crop which was started mid Feb did OK without lights.

How many chillies ?! you ask..........not nearly as many as this year

Your plan for sowing looks good. Personally I don't worry about sowing jalapeño till February because they grow quite quickly.

Grow lights I've got one of these. Which I'm very happy with. But it's quite bright!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MARS-HYDRO-...dro+300w&psc=1

[Small pumpkin]

Sorry if im miles off the mark here, but last night after getting everything out ready to start over the weekend I am now panicking the window I planned to use may not be large enough once everything needs re-potting etc. I have an outhouse with a window but I can set lighting up to ensure they receive enough light, my only concern is its not heated so gets cold. If I was to place the plants in the outhouse once they are ready to come out of the heated prop what sort of temperature needs to be maintained in the outhouse?

Your outhouse would definitely need heat. Chillies hate being cold especially when young plants / seedlings.
Don't panic! You will soon learn the art of chilli juggling . Most of us grow more than we have space for.

[Small pumpkin]

Look what I found when I went into the chilli tunnel this morning.



Peach tiger tooth has got new growth all over it.

Monty ( Dorset naga ) is covered in new flower buds
Bhut jolokia chocolate, naga morich, moruga scorpion all look like they've got half a chance of making a come back as well

I very much doubt any of them will make it though the winter but I'm very impressed with their efforts so far

[Scarlet]

Look what I found when I went into the chilli tunnel this morning.

Peach tiger tooth has got new growth all over it.

Monty ( Dorset naga ) is covered in new flower buds
Bhut jolokia chocolate, naga morich, moruga scorpion all look like they've got half a chance of making a come back as well

My Scorpion Butch T is also alive in the GH. I've covered it with lots of fleece. I've only ever had one chilli plant that survived a winter out but you never know!

[Scarlet]

Re growlights - any suggestions as to what I should be looking for? I see from Amazon that I could spend anything from £20 to £700+ ... any tips on what I should be looking for in terms of size / power? Given the setting on the south facing window sill I assume it would be supplementary rather than main source of light. Certainly last year's crop which was started mid Feb did OK without lights.

It depends on how keen you are and possibly your location. I grow without lights, I don't get leggy plants and I always get a good crop. Having a greenhouse makes a big difference and as I'm in the South it can be a lot warmer than up North.
I will start mine this weekend. As soon as they germinate I put them on windowsills. Potting in is key, if you leave them in little pots they will stay small. I also put my plants in the GH early on in the growing season and bring them back in at night - this isn't really necessary but it does help.

[Scarlet]

If I was to place the plants in the outhouse once they are ready to come out of the heated prop what sort of temperature needs to be maintained in the outhouse?

I always look at the weather forecast and if a the temp looks to be going lower than 12 for any length of time I would bring them in. Older plants can withstand lower temperatures but seedlings won't.
I don't put my plants outside in a greenhouse full time ( day and night ) until sometime in may.
Remember you don't need to sow every seed in the pack. It's best to care for a dozen plants well than 30 that you haven't got room for. Sow a few extras and then choose your best ones to grow on.

[dave_100]

I always look at the weather forecast and if a the temp looks to be going lower than 12 for any length of time I would bring them in. Older plants can withstand lower temperatures but seedlings won't.
I don't put my plants outside in a greenhouse full time ( day and night ) until sometime in may.
Remember you don't need to sow every seed in the pack. It's best to care for a dozen plants well than 30 that you haven't got room for. Sow a few extras and then choose your best ones to grow on.

Hi Scarlet, it's interesting you are starting so early without grow lights. How do your seedlings not get leggy bearing in mind they might well germinate by end of January, and sometimes February can be grey and cloudy and gloomy, meaning very little light! I'm assuming they just tick over till the sun does come out?

[Scarlet]

They get leggy when the room temps are too high, grow on in cool conditions and they should be fine. As soon as they have germinated they get taken off the heat and put in the windowsill. They aren't near any radiators.
I always start my tomatoes mid Feb so my chillies need to be done and dusted by then.