Introduction & a chilli question

[sbadger]

Hi everyone,

Small time lurker and now 1st post. So hello, it seems like a nice a friendly community here.

I've been growing veg in boxes in my garden (with varying sucess) for 3 years now. 1st was very good, i don't talk about the second year , and this year is....average to poor.

Onto a question, i've been growing chilli plants on my window sill. Now i got the seeds from a friends chilli plant that had small red (smaller than birds eye & VERY hot), now child plant it doing very well and is loaded with fruit (about 50 at the last count). But, they are ripening purple not red??, and as of last week all the new fruit coming up are now ripening red.

I'm putting it down to maybe the parent was F1, but now the new fruit is red i'm confused. It's not near any other plants and i'm pollinating them myself.
Are purple ones edible? i've read that purples are ornimental?

[T-lady]

Hi there

Don't think I can answer all of your question but wanted to say 'hi' and welcome to the 'Vine.

I'm sure that purple varieties aren't always only ornamental, I'm growing 'Pretty in Purple' this year and I understood that it's edible (fiery hot!). Also, my plant will grow peppers in all sorts of colours so maybe yours is doing a bit of variety?

[unconcerned]

Yes you can eat them. Some purple varieties are ornamental, some are not. All ornamental are edible, though they don't tend to taste as good. You'll probably find they ripen from green to purple to red. In that order. Variety could be one of many though. If you post a photo I may be able to give you some possible variety names.

[Headfry]

welcome to the vine sbadger, I am sure the chilli experts will be along soon.
I would think they were ok to eat.
hope you enjoy the vine, it's a great place to hang out!

[sdgtiger]

I grew one of these last year next to a bog standard jalapeno and thought id has cross pollination problems etc etc as my chilis varied through most colours of the rainbow but turns out it was supposed to be like that. The chilis were tiny but very fiery so i would say well done.

[Flummery]

You won't get cross pollination problems the same year that you grow chillies of different types close together. It's only if you grow the seed from one of them next year that you get this. The first year, if you're growing true seed, you'll get what you sow. The next year, you get what you're given!