Chillies - growing and overwintering 2018

[Mitzi]

That is a shame because I was, erm, fantasising about making a white hot sauce.

White bhut jolokia?

[Mitzi]

Scarlet those choc hab pods are whoppers!

[Scarlet]

Thank you Mitzi! Being in the South really helps.

[Scarlet]

Next one in is the peach hab from SP..Inthink I should have brought him in sooner - some of its leaves are already going a bit brown on the top.
Roughly 2ft tall again. I haven’t had any pods off this one yet, though quite a few ripe ones that i’ll pick today. 50+pods on this one. Not quite as nice shape as the chocolate and it’s leaves aren’t as big either but it is a pretty plant.

[Philthy]

^^^ Very nice, Scarlet What’s the rubberband for..?

[Scarlet]

That’s my “only” isolated pod on that plant for seed saving. I put a wedding favour bag over....though the other pod dropped off when I took the bag away because the leaves were dying in it.

[Scarlet]

Grape and chilli jelly coming up

[Philthy]

Cannot get the bulk of my crop to ripen It is SO frustrating...

I've got a few each on Scotch Bonnet, Espelette, Santaka, my Orange Thai (in name only), and Inferno, that are pickable. A mystery plant (lost the label ages ago) is thankfully mostly there, the only one though, and typical it's the one I don't know what it is!
Mostly though I'm just seeing uniform green pods wherever I look. Joe's Long are darkening but a long way off fully turning. Got loads of pods on my big Apple Crisp; that looks impressive in a way but they're supposed to be deep orange not lime green.
Paper Lantern and Chocolate Hab came indoors a week ago to help them along, no joy so far.
Seems summer has ended as abruptly as it began, and about 10 days too early!

Where is the heatwave stretching into October we were promised?? Humph!!

*And yes I know weather forecasting is a future event and therefore not set in stone but when the majority of forecasts and news feeds (The Express not included) are all leaning the same way confidence in that one outcome must be fairly high..

[Small pumpkin]

A few of my plants are going to find their way to the compost heap next week. Chilli season is coming to an end . But chopping down plants does make harvesting much easier

[bramble]

I chopped down some of mine this week.
Having said that, some of mine which had no space in the greenhouse are growing outside in the open ground.
Still producing ripepeppers although I think that's coming to an end as well.
I have we died not to over winter any chillis this year.

[ChilliWilly70]

My plants are still looking really quite healthy with lots of ripe peppers, surprising considering temperatures falling away and minimal sunlight.

[Chrissyteacup]

I’m the same Philthy and the OH doesn’t like plants inside. Any tips for speeding up the ripening process?

[Mitzi]

I have received some fabulous pods from ChillyWilly70 - thank you so much! Not been brave enough to try them yet, probably at the weekend. I'm definitely going to save seeds and grow them next year; I know they might not come true but I'm sure they will still be good.

My plants outdoors are now dropping quite a lot of leaves and a lot are going yellow. Overnight temps forecast for 7*C next couple of nights and 5*C Sunday and Monday. I'm not going to have chance to do anything until Sunday so I hope they survive until then. I will try to pot down and bring in all the plants I have room for on Sunday. I just don't have room for all of them; it's heartbreaking.

[Mitzi]

I’m the same Philthy and the OH doesn’t like plants inside. Any tips for speeding up the ripening process?

Ripe bananas are supposed to speed up ripening but you'd have to find away of enclosing the banana with the plants. If you pick the largest pods then put them on a sunny windowsill with a banana or two, they should ripen.

I've had quite a few pods knocked off with storm damage a few weeks ago and I've been surprised how well they have ripened on a sunny windowsill despite being completely green to start with.

[Chrissyteacup]

Thanks Mitzi! Would seeds from pods ripened like this be viable?