Week 4: Chillies for a hot summer

In 1492 Christopher Columbus was trying to
find a faster route to India to collect black
peppercorns (which grow on a tropical vine)
when, miscalculating the circumference of the
Earth, he landed in America. Here he came
across an equally hot spice – the chilli.

By the seventeenth century chillies had spread
right around the globe and these days it's hard
to envisage many iconic regional dishes without
chillies as an integral part of their flavour. For
example, how did the Hungarians ever make
goulash without paprika (which comes from
chillies)?

Of course, the best way to have your own fresh
chillies on hand is to grow your own. A few
pots will usually be sufficient for the average
family. Yates Long Red Cayenne chilli has
finger-shaped fruit that change from green to
red - and become hotter - as they mature.

Chillies are in the same family as tomatoes and
they grow in identical conditions. Like
tomatoes, chilli seeds can be sown into outdoor
pots or garden beds as soon as the weather is
consistently warm or, in cold areas, can be
germinated in punnets on a bright windowsill.

After germination, when the weather's warm
and the chilli seedlings are big enough to
transplant, move them into pots filled with good
quality potting mix. Yates Thrive Premium
would be ideal for this purpose. It comes
complete with plenty of fertiliser and added soil
wetter to help water get into the mix. Water
gently while the young plants are establishing
and make sure that the excess moisture can
drain freely (ideally the pot should be raised to
keep the drainage holes clear).

Feed every couple of weeks with Thrive Soluble
Plant Food or Nitrosol. Because these are
applied in a liquid form they get straight into the
plants and help them to grow as quickly as
possible. Keep the pot in a sunny spot but
make sure it doesn't 'cook'. As summer heats
up it can be a good idea to move the pot into a
spot that's lightly shaded through the middle of
the day.

Happy chilli plants can last for more than one
season, especially if you move the pots into a
protected spot for winter and trim them back in
spring. After pruning, repot into fresh potting
mix or, at the very least, sprinkle some long-
lasting Once A Year Feeder onto the mix.

Take care when handling fresh chillies and the
seeds. They can cause a burning sensation in
the eyes and on tender parts of the skin.

 

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