Chillies - Growing and Over wintering 2020

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Sp. Would you like to grow it?

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks Sp. Would you like to grow it?

No thanks VC. Afraid I’m being very picky with varieties this year. Only 27!

[veggiechicken]

OK, I'll let you off this year!!

[Mitzi]

No thanks VC. Afraid I’m being very picky with varieties this year. Only 27!

How are you coping with that? I'm trying to keep my list right down this year but things keep trying to creep in to it. Mind you, my germination failures are helping.

[Small pumpkin]

How are you coping with that? I'm trying to keep my list right down this year but things keep trying to creep in to it. Mind you, my germination failures are helping.

It’s simple, I will be starting to build our new house this year, so that is curbing my enthusiasm. Also there are 5 or 6 varieties that I’m growing a lot of.

And it’s only 27 varieties...........so far

[Small pumpkin]

How are you coping with that? I'm trying to keep my list right down this year but things keep trying to creep in to it. Mind you, my germination failures are helping.

It’s simple, I will be starting to build our new house this year, so that is curbing my enthusiasm. Also there are 5 or 6 varieties that I’m growing a lot of.

And it’s only 27 varieties...........so far

If it makes you feel any better. I’ve just worked out I’ll be growing 60 (ish) plants.

[SimpleSimon]

If it makes you feel any better. I’ve just worked out I’ll be growing 60 (ish) plants.

Do you grow them all in the ground? I'm trying to keep mine down but can't get the numbers below 50. I hate growing a single plant of any new type incase I really like it and I got some interesting ones in the seed circle. Decisions decisions.

[Small pumpkin]

Do you grow them all in the ground? I'm trying to keep mine down but can't get the numbers below 50. I hate growing a single plant of any new type incase I really like it and I got some interesting ones in the seed circle. Decisions decisions.

I don’t grow any in the ground. All in pots & tubs. Never in anything less than 7lt, going up to 100lt.
I’m happy to grow just one plant of any one variety. Especially a new variety to my grow list. One plant usually produces enough for me to work out if I like it and what it’s best used for. If it doesn’t then it’s not worth growing again because it’s not productive enough. That may seem harsh. But my chillies are treated like gods. I expect them to perform in turn

[SimpleSimon]

I don’t grow any in the ground. All in pots & tubs. Never in anything less than 7lt, going up to 100lt.
I’m happy to grow just one plant of any one variety. Especially a new variety to my grow list. One plant usually produces enough for me to work out if I like it and what it’s best used for. If it doesn’t then it’s not worth growing again because it’s not productive enough. That may seem harsh. But my chillies are treated like gods. I expect them to perform in turn

wowzers that's some compost bill that! I do about 50/50 split between a bed in the tunnel and pots. Can't decide which is best and the bed in the tunnel is looking a bit sorry for itself at the moment. Needs a bit of work before summer. It's hard to know how to prep a soil bed for chillis. Everywhere warns against too much manure and I don't have enough compost.

[Small pumpkin]

I’ve only grown one chilli ( a lemon drop ) in the raised bed in my tunnel. It grow very well, I didn’t really notice much difference between that one and the potted one. The potted one did start ripening a little early but not much.

[benb89]

Overall was very pleased with what I grew last year, learnt a lot thanks to all on here. The experience has also taught me alot so hopefully I will not be making the same mistakes this year. Surprisingly some of the plants which I have left out in the corner of the garden, exposed to the elements, appear to be still alive I may well bring them inside to see what happens.

Getting ready to start sowing the seeds in the next week or so, setting everything up, making sure stuff still works and making plans. I am going to focus on only a couple of varieties this year, however I have just realised I left my seeds in the boot of the car since the summer. Not sure if they will be ok so I think I will order some more just in case.

[Mitzi]

I am going to focus on only a couple of varieties this year, however I have just realised I left my seeds in the boot of the car since the summer. Not sure if they will be ok so I think I will order some more just in case.

Which varieties? I'm always interested to find out what are people's favourites.

In the boot of the car they will have been roasted and chilled. Not really the best conditions for seeds but you never know, they might grow...

[benb89]

Which varieties? I'm always interested to find out what are people's favourites.

In the boot of the car they will have been roasted and chilled. Not really the best conditions for seeds but you never know, they might grow...

I will definitely grow Cayenne, a few different varieties of habanero, and scotch bonnet. Im sure I will end up growing a few more varieties but I need to keep it simple as I will be moving house so do not want to have loads of plants to move.

I know, I put them all in my box of car tools, which luckily I haven't had to use, and completely forgot they were in there. Was certain I had put them in the cupboard but cant have.

[Chrissyteacup]

Think I might be going insane

So my plan this year was to buy plug plants rather then growing from seed as I’m expecting our first child to arrive around 11th April. However my propagator is now on and warming my soil for sowing complete with thirty cells.
(I haven’t yet decided what I’m sowing)
My reasoning for this is that if I buy plugs they are a) more expensive and b) will come in jiffy sized root balls and will need potting on just as baby’s about to put in an appearance. So my plan is to sow into large cells so to stop the need for repotting so soon and if they aren’t successful or they get abandoned at least I’ve not wasted money buying them yes I realise I’ll be paying for electric but some how that doesn’t count as it’s just a general bill
Am I crackers for trying?

[Philthy]

^^^ Congratulations!!

Certainly no harm in trying. Might be harder to gauge the appropriate amount of water to add though i.e. too wet for seedlings..

Have you tried biological controls (ladybirds, lacewing larvae, parasitic wasps etc.) for your pests?

..some years I've reduced growing on lots of stuff and the following year my enthusiasm bounces back! Enjoy your break. Time to open up the green house and give it a good clean out

Yep. Used ladybirds last year, possibly not in great enough numbers, but the cost of them would have spiralled. Can't say I noticed a great difference for the ones I had.
Trust me the greenhouse gets a good clean out at the start of every new season, plus diligent tidying throughout. 2018 I emptied it and cleaned again mid summer too so twice that year. Something is amiss that I'm yet to identify.

I will be back growing - I have a box of new seed varieties for one thing - but there is a danger of falling out of love with it with just constant set backs to deal with so a break is definitely in order. I will still be popping in from time to time however