Chilli all time favourites

[TrixC]

I know lots of people are growing chillies on here, and I’m interested to know your ‘must grow’ varieties, which you grow every year. I don’t have a greenhouse so I’m particularly interested in varieties that do ok outdoors. For me my current faves are:

Portugal - good size, suitable heat for most recipes, really early for such a large pepper.
Machu Picchu - great flavour, unusual appearance, overwinters well.
Fish - beautiful plant, fruits are great for cooking and pickling.
Bahamian Goat - great flavour, very hot but not stupidly so, fantastic for salsas.
Padron - good fun, easy to grow, very productive even in poor summer.

[Small pumpkin]

My must grow are jalapeño, cayenne, lemon drop, Thai dragon, basket of fire. I could go on, but you would get bored .
I can't advise on what will do well outside. Due to my location I don't grow any outside.
I'm sure someone will be along to help you soon.

[Scarlet]

Hmm, I'm not sure if I have a real must grow list but the regulars are similar to SP's.... Jalepenos, cayenne, lemon drop...manzano and a hab

[geepee]

Hot,Hot,Hot,..???

[TrixC]

Oops, just realised I posted this on the allotment part of the forum, I meant to post it on the veggie growing bit. I have an allotment but most of my chillies are grown at home in pots.

[Scarlet]

All moved Trix!

[Tripmeup]

Jalapeno,Chilaca, Ohnivec, Bangalore Whippets Tale amongst others.
Can't beat a nice Hab too..

[Mitzi]

Not been at this long enough to have regulars yet. Quite a few on your list I haven't tried. Last year my favourites were Aji Omnicolor, Sugar Rush Peach, Aleppo and CGN21500. All except CGN21500 were outside.

Liked Bahamian Goat but it wasn't as productive as the scotch bonnets. Overwintering it so hopefully it will do better this year. I'll probably always have some sort of scotch bonnet in my grow; MoA last year and trying the Beth Boyd variety this year. They wouldn't thrive outside, though, at least where I live.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

If I was limited to grow just the one it would definatly be either a "Prairie Fire" or "Basket of Fire"

Lovely looking plant sat on my kitchen window sill, nice and compact, and comes in useful for a lot of culinary uses!

[Bacchus]

I always have some of the staples (Jalapeno and Cayene) but try to put in some Devils Tounge each year if I have to reach for the really hot one and some Spagetti (sea spring seeds) for decorative use..

[Philthy]

If I could only grow one variety going forward it would be Lemon Drop. The plant is excellent in terms of performance, resilience, reliability. And the fruits are also first rate; versatile, flavoursome, not overpowering, great all rounder

I'm also very keen on Espelette, and Fatali.

There's others I like but it depends what you want out of them, e.g. I've found the Trinidad family are good overwintering choices, Black Pearl makes a gorgeous ornamental but I've never tried using the fruits for anything, while some of the F1 strains can be prolific fruiters but the plants can't always bear the weight of the crop and need regular tying in.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I'd love a "Lemon Drop" this year the way you all rate it!

Tried last year and failed miserably! Down to my own mister minor!

I have feeling this year is gunna be good!

Well here's hoping!

[TrixC]

Not been at this long enough to have regulars yet. Quite a few on your list I haven't tried. Last year my favourites were Aji Omnicolor, Sugar Rush Peach, Aleppo and CGN21500. All except CGN21500 were outside.

Liked Bahamian Goat but it wasn't as productive as the scotch bonnets. Overwintering it so hopefully it will do better this year. I'll probably always have some sort of scotch bonnet in my grow; MoA last year and trying the Beth Boyd variety this year. They wouldn't thrive outside, though, at least where I live.

The first year I grew the Bahamian Goat it wasn’t all that productive, but after overwintering I got plenty of fruit. I’ve tried quite a few Aji types although not the Omnicolour one.

[TrixC]

If I could only grow one variety going forward it would be Lemon Drop. The plant is excellent in terms of performance, resilience, reliability. And the fruits are also first rate; versatile, flavoursome, not overpowering, great all rounder

I'm also very keen on Espelette, and Fatali.

There's others I like but it depends what you want out of them, e.g. I've found the Trinidad family are good overwintering choices, Black Pearl makes a gorgeous ornamental but I've never tried using the fruits for anything, while some of the F1 strains can be prolific fruiters but the plants can't always bear the weight of the crop and need regular tying in.

Ooh, I really want to try Espelette now. I love to cook, so generally go for varieties which are good for tha, if they’re ornamental it’s a bonus.

[Mitzi]

The first year I grew the Bahamian Goat it wasn’t all that productive, but after overwintering I got plenty of fruit. I’ve tried quite a few Aji types although not the Omnicolour one.

That's encouraging (about the Bahamian Goat.) It's actually just set a couple of pods although I don't know if they'll amount to much at this time of year.

Aji Omnicolor is a better looking plant than the other baccatums I've grown so far, which have been on the straggly side. It's bushier and neater, the fruits start off upright like little pale green / cream candles, then turn through orange to red, and if you've got it in a particularly sunny spot they can turn purple with sunburn before going orange. The pods have a fruity taste without it being overwhelming, quite hot, pretty easy to accommodate in cooking. It did well outside even in our poor summer but I had a plant in the office and it did well there too - so it's pretty adaptable.