Are you growing chillies or chilis? Nevermind the various spellings, there are even more shapes, sizes and colours!

At one stage growing chillis was a special passion of mine.
Do you skills many various varieties there are? and the way ornamental they are?

Just gorgeous!

Growing chillies altogether colours.

For a short time I had about 25 different chilli varieties growing…

But let’s ditch me. Everybody must grow chillis for cooking. albeit you don’t like hot food, just a touch hint of chilli to warm it up stimulates the taste buds and everything else tastes with great care far better . True.

And chillies will brighten up your garden!

But before we get to the instructions for growing chillis, lets mapped out the spelling, lest you think that I don’t know any better…

There are 3 ways to spell the name: chili, chili, and chile.

Yep, some people grow chile. this is often the Spanish version of the name, which you furthermore may find utilized in English speaking countries, especially the southwest of America.

The Americans changed chile to chili. Originally chili mentioned the dish chili con carne. Then it had been shortened to only chili. Chili is that the preferred name for the spice made up of the fruit of the chile plant. But in America chili is additionally widely used because the name for the plant and fruit, the chili peppers. They grow chilis over there within the US.

The British are growing chillis. Chilli is additionally the commonly used spelling in Australia and New Zealand. Permaculture originated in Australia, hence we’ll stick with that version if you don’t mind.

As for the plural, both chillis and chillies is accepted.

Growing Chilli Peppers

What Do Chilli Plants Look Like?

Chili plants grow into small to medium-sized bushes from knee-high to 2 meters/six feet tall. How big they get depends on the species and variety.

There are different species of chillies. Most chillies are grown as annuals albeit they will live for a couple of years in warm climates. Some chilli varieties are true perennials.

Most of the common varieties however belong to the species capsicum annuum, the “annual” species.
(Bell peppers, called capsicums in Australia, also belong to the species capsicum annuum.)

Chillis have small to medium sized, shiny, dark green leaves. The fruit, the chilli peppers, vary wildly in size and shape.

A chilli plant is growing.

Chilli peppers are green to start out with. Most of them ripen to an upscale red but they will even be orange, yellow, purple or brown.

They may hang down or get up like little colourful candles. There are even ornamental varieties that are mottled and freckled.

Very ornamental chilli plants, purple and cream.

The different chilli types not only vary in size and colour, they also vary in how hot they are! If you grow chillies for the kitchen, choose your variety with care…

How Hot Will Your Chillies Be?

The heat of chilies is caused by present ingredients called capsaicin and is measured on the Scoville scale. the size ranges from zero (capsicums/bell peppers) to 16,000,000 (pure capsaicin).

It’s impossible to assign an accurate Scoville unit amount to a plant because the warmth of the fruit will vary with the weather, the age of the plant, the soil and however the plant feels on any given day.

Still, some varieties are hotter than others, so here may be a list of documented varieties, in ascending order on the Scoville scale, from zero to around 500,000:

Sweet Banana, Anaheim, Jalapeno, Serrano, Manzano, Cayenne, Tabasco, Thai, Birdseye, Habanero.

Chocolate Habanero chilliThe Chocolate Habanero, blistering hot at 500,000 SHU.

There are still chillies much hotter than that, but I don’t got to grow a spread called the Carolina Reaper…
(For an extended time this was the planet record holder for chilli heat at 2,200,000 Scoville heat units.)

Where are you able to Grow Chillis?

Chili plants love the heat. they’re closely associated with capsicums/bell peppers and also associated with tomatoes (they are within the same family, the Solanaceae), but chilies prefer their growing conditions tons hotter.

Chilli seeds need 20°C/68°F to germinate, and it should be 30°C/86°F or more for the fruit to ripen. Night temperatures shouldn’t drop below 15°C/60°F, a minimum of not on a daily basis. The odd cool spell is ok.

Chillies also don’t mind humidity the maximum amount as sweet peppers or tomatoes do.

Most people will got to grow chillis fully sun. within the hottest, sunniest regions chillies still grow well with a touch of shade. Especially afternoon shade can even be beneficial. it’ll prevent the fruit from getting sunburned.

If you reside within the tropics or subtropics, great. Your chillies should thrive. Even the “annual” varieties should live for 2 to 3 years and produce fruit for you all year round.

If your climate isn’t tropical, don’t despair. you’ll still grow chillies if you get decent summers. And you’ll extend the season by growing chilis indoors, a bit like you are doing with tomatoes.

Chillis are associated with tomatoes, therefore the growing methods and requirements are similar. Except that chillies need more heat.

People with small gardens or balconies are going to be pleased to listen to that you simply can grow chillis in pots.

How To Grow Chillies From Seed

You can buy chili plants during a nursery otherwise you can grow chilies from seed. Remember that the seed needs a minimum of 20°C/68°F to germinate.

Start them in early spring in cooler climates or any time during the season within the tropics.
You could start all of them year round within the tropics but it’s an honest idea to let the plants grow strong before the wet season hits them.

Chilli plants are usually started in seedling trays or small pots. they’re very vulnerable when small and that they don’t grow all that fast.

Chilli seedlings growing in-tray.

Still, I like better to start mine directly within the ground because like capsicums, chillis don’t like being transplanted.

Actually, I only start them within the ground once I have enough seed to permit for a high percentage of fatalities.
(I am the laziest gardener i do know , so I don’t take care of my seedlings much.)
I usually have enough because I save my very own seed.

If I buy seed of a replacement chilli variety and that i get one among those tiny packets with barely a dozen seeds in them, then I start them in pots.

You can plant several chilli seeds per pot. Once your seedlings have a couple of leaves, nip the weaker ones and only keep the strongest plants.

You only want one chilli plant per pot once you plant them out.

Otherwise you’ll disturb their roots an excessive amount of and that they HATE having their roots disturbed.

If you grow chillies in seedling trays or little punnets, plant them out once they need four to 6 true leaves (are about 5 cm/2 inches tall). If you don’t, their roots will start feeling restricted and it’ll set them back.

Chillies don’t mind growing in bigger pots, therefore the timing for planting them out isn’t critical if you employ pots. If you reside during a cooler climate, use pots. allow them to to grow to 10 to fifteen cm/4-6 inches. confirm it’s warm enough before you set them outside!

Water the chillies before transplanting, therefore the soil doesn’t disintegrate once you remove them from the pot. Be VERY careful when removing the seedlings from their pots.

Drop them during a hole within the garden, fill it back in, firm down the soil, water. Done.

Young chili plant growing within the ground.

Growing Chilli Plants

Chilies grow during a sort of soil. Like most plants, they grow better in rich soils and produce more fruit, but they’re going to grow in any reasonably fertile soil and don’t need any special treatment. If you employ mulch and compost in your garden the chilies will grow just fine.

If your soil is poor, you’ll need to fertilize your chillies. (And start using more mulch and compost.)

When fertilizing chillies confine mind that, like their relatives and indeed most fruiting plants, chillies like potassium. an excessive amount of nitrogen will make them grow many soft leaves and no fruit.

It is important to stay your chilli plants well watered and mulched. Mulch not only improves soil over time, it also protects it from drying out.

Chillies have such a troublesome and hardy image, people often don’t realize how sensitive they’re when it involves lack of water. confirm your chillies have plenty and never dry out.

At an equivalent time, don’t overwater. The soil should be free draining. Chillies don’t grow in swamps.

Problems When Growing Chillies

Chilies have weak branches. If they’re loaded with fruit they will break. the entire plants are susceptible to branches drooping on the bottom and abruption, so you’ll want to offer them some support.

Chillies growing on a trellis.

(I don’t. I just stop the broken branches and therefore the bush grows new ones. Chillies don’t mind if you prune them.)

A stake also will prevent the entire plant from toppling over, which also happens because their roots are only shallow and not very strong.

Root knot nematodes can cause the plant to wilt and die for no obvious reason. However, root knot nematodes are a symbol of very poor soils. If you add many compost and mulch to your garden you shouldn’t have any trouble.

Other than that chillies grow happily and aren’t bothered much by any pests or diseases. If they struggle it’s usually a symbol that the soil isn’t nearly as good as you thought.

Did I mention that compost and mulch are great stuff?

Harvesting Chilli Peppers

Chilies are quick to fruit and flower. How quick depends on the variability and on the temperature.

You can harvest the primary chillis green once they reach full size. otherwise you wait until they turn red, or whatever colour they’re alleged to turn.

If you propose to dry them for flavorer or flakes, you’ll even leave them on the bush until they shrivel and dry.

To harvest fresh chillies cut or achieve the mature fruit while it’s still shiny and plump.

If you pull it off, pull it upwards, exactly opposite to the direction during which it bends down. Then it should break at the joint, without abruption the entire branch. Otherwise just snip them off.

The fruit will last during a sealed bag within the fridge for up to every week .

You can dry it within the dryer or sun dry it, you’ll also just string it up and hang it up to dry in an airy spot.

Pound it to flakes or put it within the blender to form cayenne pepper and flavorer .

A Word Of Warning
You don’t get to eat chilies for them to burn you!

Just wait till you get Habanero chilli juice under your fingernails for the primary time…

When cutting fresh chillies, confirm to wash your hands well after. Don’t touch your skin and particularly don’t touch your eyes! the most well liked chillies can cause you to go blind. i’m not kidding.

When working with dry chilli be VERY careful to not inhale any powder. Also don’t catch on in your eyes.

Growing Chillis In My Permaculture Garden

I mentioned at the highest of the page that I went through a phase of chili growing obsession where I grew a few dozen varieties. they’re so ornamental!

However, the foremost ornamental varieties seem to be less hardy. they appear to wish better soil, more attention, don’t live as long etc.

After the initial enthusiasm wore off, my innate laziness took over.

These days I even have only three sorts of chillis growing in my garden: people who grow themselves.
(Plus my beloved purple chili.)

Growing purple chilies.

Chillies self pollinate, but occasionally they also cross breed. If you save your own seed and grow quite one variety, then the offspring may grow a bit like the parent or it’s going to be a stimulating new combination.

All this to mention , i’m unsure what quite variety my chillies are…

The toughest and most prolific, the one that anyone should be ready to grow, may be a huge bush of the Birds Eye type.

Birdseye Chilli

Those bushes grow to 2 metres/six feet in size and are always loaded with chillies.

The tiny fruit is blistering hot. The wild birds love them (did you recognize birds don’t feel the warmth in chillies?) then do my chickens.

The seed spreads through the garden via birds and chickens, and that i am forever pruning and chopping the bushes everywhere…

My favourite culinary variety may be a sort of Cayenne pepper, a medium sized bush with darker leaves and long skinny fruit of medium heat.

Cayenne Pepper

I always have a couple of bushes growing near the kitchen door and that i exit there on a day to day to urge some chillies. a number of the fruit doesn’t get eaten and drops on the bottom where the seeds eventually sprout. From there i’ll transplant them once I feel energetic.

The third sort of chilli I grow may be a truly perennial type. I even have a couple of bushes throughout the garden and that they are there forever. They bear fruit all year round though not the maximum amount as my other two varieties.

Perennial Capsicum

The fruit may be a bit shorter and wider than the Cayennes. it’s no noticeable heat and that i use it as a substitute for capsicum/bell peppers in cooking. I don’t use them in salads, they’re not as sweet or juicy or crisp as real sweet peppers, except for cooking they are doing the work .

I dimly remember once, a few years ago and living during a different place, I bought seed for a “Perennial Capsicum”, a bell pepper that lives for several years and fruits all year round. i used to be a touch disappointed because it tasted nothing just like the capsicums I knew. So maybe that’s its offspring.

Anyway, I do grow all the chilies i want then some, without ever having to shop for seeds and without putting any work into it. Who cares what they’re called!