Growing and caring for chilli plants

[bergs]

Hi, I'm trying to over winter my Chillies. Last season they were all coming on strong when Autumn came. I thought that if I tried to keep the plants alive it would give me a head start this season. I'm in Victoria (cool temperate).

I have googled it, but it's mainly British and American area guides. I trimmed them back fairly harshly and located the potted ones in a sheltered spot in the garden and backed the watering right off. They are a mixed variety.

So far one is showing signs of shooting. There has been a fair bit of die back which I have now trimmed off. The weather is not far away from getting a bit warmer, so the hopefully, they will take off again and give me earlier crops.

I had preserved (pickled) quite a few but stocks have run out.

Has anyone else had any success in over wintering Chillies? If so please share your methods with us.

Thanks and Cheers🍻Bergs

[MitchellMc]

Hi @chefyash,

Let me mention @bergs, so they are alerted to your question.

Do you have any idea at what temperature you kept the seeds when trying to germinate them? Optimally it would be best if you were aiming for between 25 and 30-degrees Celsius. If you have trouble achieving above 25-degrees constantly, you could try a Mr Fothergill's Propagation Heat Pad. I needed to use one as I was having trouble finding a warm environment.

Mitchell

[Jason]

I've had my best season yet of jalapenos. My best plant is over six foot tall and has so much fruit. We had a good feed of poppers last night.

Jason

   

[bergs]

@Jason 

Great plant, looks healthy and good sized fruit.

Did you over winter it or collect seeds from last season?

@MitchellMc 

The hot chillies should be used in moderation.

They don't seem as hot when cooked into a meal.

You eventually get used to them.

Don't breathe in at the wrong time as it will take your voice away.

I have a couple of spoons of Reapers in my mushroom and Habaneros in my egg each morning and you get acclimatized to them.

@Brad 

Eat chillies to whatever strength you are able.

Some people can eat hotter and spicier than the other person.

I think if you like a couple of different types of chillies and you can grow them stay with them.

I like the after tingle in the lips and a few beads of sweat on the brow, that's when you know they're working.

"It does wonders for your sinuses".

@chefyash 

I got my Manzano seeds from a plant I bought at the Chillie Festival (Renaissance Herbs in Wandin) in Melbourne a few years back.

I collect my own seeds each year now.

It was supposed to be Manzano Orange, but it goes from green to a blackish colour then turns yellow.

I germinated the seeds without a heat pad this season just in the small plastic hot boxes you get from Bunnings.

Seedlings take a while to grow and I have found if I put them into a garden bed when they get their second lot of  leaves, they grow very quickly especially when the weather is right.

They are grown in the mountains of South America and can take a bit of cold, thus the reason why they over winter so well here in Geelong.

We don't get too many frosts here so I don't even bother to cover them up.

I did happen to pick up a couple of seedlings at Bunnings but they only had them for a short time.

If you Google Rocoto Chillies there there are many sites with plenty of info and where to obtain plants or seeds.

🍻

[Jason]

I grew it from a seedling 18 months ago. It survived the winter really well and had fruit very early in the summer and it's just kept coming and coming @bergs.

Jason

[bergs]

@Jason It's great to get a head start for the season. 

It gives you great achievement and satisfaction.

👍🍻

[Jason]

Yes @bergs. I also got some seeds going on the kitchen sill in spring but since planting the seedlings in the garden bed they haven't grown much. Hopefully they can be fruitful next summer.

Jason

[JaneK]

Some ideas for using up chillies from The Guardian.

Jane

[Rach23]

Does anyone know what kind of chilli this is? I sprinkled a handful of cayenne chilli seeds and managed to get 5 chilli plants which I repotted into separate pots. One pot definitely looks like cayenne - long skinny chilli but the others are really fat. It can’t be because this pot got more fertiliser so the chillies are fatter than the other pot with the long skinny chillies?

[bergs]

Hi @Rach23 

It maybe a cross with a Jalapeno. 

Check out the earlier photo of @Jason Jalapenos.

Did you collect the seed yourself from the Cayenne?

In suburban gardens, quite often there is not enough room to segregate each variety and the Bees

will cause cross pollination.

It may from your own property or from anywhere around the neighbourhood.

If the seed was commercially acquired, it should be what is on the seed packet (even so, there are some throw backs occasionally). 

The chilli plant looks very healthy and the fruit looks delicious too.

Have you given one a taste test yet?

I think in the end, if you like the chilli, it doesn't really matter if it's crossed with something else.

You can over winter your chillies easy especially with them being in pots.

Just move them into the warmest, sheltered area you can find.

I have quite a few plants of different varieties and collect their

seed for the next season and I'm sure that they cross pollinate each other.

One year they may be larger fruit from other years and then vice versa.

They're all from chillies that I like, so not a problem for me.

👍🍻 @bergs 

[Rach23]

@bergs I bought the seeds from Bunnings and actually double checked the packet after it started growing in case I picked up the wrong seed packet- definitely said cayenne. I did at one stage thought and hoped that they might be jalapeños 😁 but looks too pointy. 

After reading here, you need to harvest to encourage more to fruit, I just snipped the red ones off the bushes. Will try out the round ones (left) to see if there is any difference from the cayenne (right)