Chillies - growing and overwintering 2019

[Small pumpkin]

I've never grown Lemon Drop; I mentioned it because most people have heard of it, it's easy to get hold of, and it's similar to others that I have grown outside. Got loads off my Aji Pineapple the year before; still got quite a few in the freezer.

Scarlet and anyone else who's grown both: do you think they are different, or are they basically the same? (Lemon Drop and Aji Pineapple, that is.)

I grew both last year. Very very similar

[Scarlet]

I have grown both and also think they are very very similar.

But I'm not sure I would want to grow lemon drop outside. Everyone's idea of a great crop is different I suppose. How many pods do you get from it? How big do they grow?

I grow lemon drop with the hope that I can overwinter - the second year crop is fantastic. Can easily grow to 4ft.

Have you got a photo of an outside grown plant of the aji pineapple?

[the big lebowski]

welcome grimley , where about in the uk are you ? im in bedford and i grow all mine outside uncovered (and my plot is on top of a pretty big hill and rather exposed ) they grow to about 2 foot tall and i get a good crop of them , i grew about 20 plants last year and im going to try to grow 40 - 50 this year , if i had to give a rough guess id say i got about a carrier bag full last year ,if your growing them in your back garden with walls or fenches they should do pretty well , good luck ,cheers

[Grimley]

welcome grimley , where about in the uk are you ? im in bedford and i grow all mine outside uncovered (and my plot is on top of a pretty big hill and rather exposed ) they grow to about 2 foot tall and i get a good crop of them , i grew about 20 plants last year and im going to try to grow 40 - 50 this year , if i had to give a rough guess id say i got about a carrier bag full last year ,if your growing them in your back garden with walls or fenches they should do pretty well , good luck ,cheers

Im near Belfast so quite northernly, hopefully get a summer like last year. Which varieties did you have success with Lebowski?

[jackarmy]

Nigel's outdoors

Chilli Pepper Vegetable Seeds to buy in the UK from The Real Seed Catalogue

There's lots of people who do grow outside though, I think crops are just smaller.
A sheltered patio is ideal, if they are grown against a sunny wall they usually do well.
I would avoid long maturing peppers and try cayennes/ jalepeanos etc.

Also had really good success outside with Basque chilli last year, ceyenne are pretty simple too as are ring of fire.
as said, it was an awesome summer last year but they usually do well as said up against a wall foe some shelter and facing southish. nigels did superb last year.

[the big lebowski]

hi grimley i grew https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co....ds-gift-set-7/ these , all of them did well apart from the orange hab which got decapitated on my window sill when the wind blew the window shut ,i started them under lights and moved them up the plot and put them in 25 liter pots around the end of april / start of may

[Mitzi]

I have grown both and also think they are very very similar.

But I'm not sure I would want to grow lemon drop outside. Everyone's idea of a great crop is different I suppose. How many pods do you get from it? How big do they grow?

I grow lemon drop with the hope that I can overwinter - the second year crop is fantastic. Can easily grow to 4ft.

Have you got a photo of an outside grown plant of the aji pineapple?

I didn’t measure or weigh the harvest and I don’t know whether I have a photo. If I have, I don’t know where to find it. The plant was too big to bring in the house for overwintering and didn’t survive in the garage so I have no way of knowing what it would have been like in a second year.

I’m sure they will do better in a greenhouse but the question was which chillies stand a chance outdoors and those certainly do. Most chillies will struggle to a certain extent in our climate but some cope better than others.

[Mitzi]

My latest batch of seeds ( if this works):



The Coyote Zan White don't look viable, do they? Suspiciously dark in the middle. Maybe I should sow some more of those.

[Philthy]

I had Aji Criolla Sella on my seed list for a while. Then scratched it as it is so similar to Aji Lemon Drop (same pod size, colour, ripening cycle, taste) I figured why bother with it as Lemon Drop is already well proven in that sphere.

I grow lemon drop with the hope that I can overwinter - the second year crop is fantastic. Can easily grow to 4ft.

At LEAST 4ft ...

[Scarlet]

At LEAST 4ft ...

I didn't want to boast!

[Scarlet]

The plant was too big to bring in the house for overwintering and didn’t survive in the garage so I have no way of knowing what it would have been like in a second year.

Last year was an amazing Summer. Everyone's chillies did exceptionally well inside and out...but for an average Summer outside I'm not sure that Lemon drop would be on my growlist. I think there are better options to try first .....maybe a bit different for a chillihead
The reason I got a GH was because my toms and chillies didn't crop as well as I wanted when grown outside.

[Mitzi]

I had Aji Criolla Sella on my seed list for a while. Then scratched it as it is so similar to Aji Lemon Drop (same pod size, colour, ripening cycle, taste) I figured why bother with it as Lemon Drop is already well proven in that sphere.

I didn’t know they are so similar. I thought Criolla Sella was a smaller plant and the pods are orange rather than yellow, sweeter and quicker to ripen. I may be wrong; I’ll report back if I get any to grow.

[Philthy]

I've never grown it, but with a refresher search I can see the source info. seems fairly split, some describing it as orange, some refer to it as yellow. It's still similar enough imo that I probably won't be growing it any time soon, though granted it does look to have some good points to recommend it. Be interested to see how it performs for you though

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Don't get me wrong, but having never grown a "Lemon Drop" for reasons unknown, I did grow one last year having heared you Guys rave about it for so long!

And why wouldn't you! This thing is "Awsome"

With it's citruss side kick flavour, just compliments fish dishes no end!

Then having done various research and found "Kella Uchu" which to be honest I think is an interbreed sourse of some of you have mentioned earlier, lemon drop, Limo, Hot Jamaican etc, etc, so yeah, in agreeance seems a waste of time growing out other varieties for the same outcome!


Anyway!

A few more moved on! Maybe prematurely! But trying my best to keep on top this year!



Hoping to have a full tray by the end of the week as these babies are now popping at an alarming rate!

[toomanytommytoes]

Very happy that my last 3 Lipstick seed from a 2015 packet have all germinated. Got zero germination from the Basque and Long Red Marconi so have re-sown fresh seed. Some seedlings are a bit stunted from where their seed coats didn't shed properly: I've sown some 'just in case' spares which will be given away or grown on if the 2nd batch of Basques and Marconis don't do anything.

So everything re-sown for spares has come up except for the Basques and Long Red Marconis. Had a dig down to look at the seeds and they've not even put out a radicle. The Basques are maybe too old (2016), though the 2015 Lipsticks came up fine. Do Marconis need to germinate at lower temperatures or could it just be a duff batch of seed (they were free with an order of seed garlic)?