Grow your own chillies
These colourful fruits can be grown on windowsills and terraces in pots for the enjoyment of both gardeners and cooks.
Even if you have just a small outdoor space or a window box, chilli peppers are fun to grow. They can be many colours of the rainbow including green, purple, yellow, orange and red. They have many culinary uses too from stews, stir fries and preserves to sauces.
They have been cultivated for more than 9,000 years and there are more than 3,500 varieties to choose from.
Growing chillies from seed
- Sow in pots from March onwards in seed-raising compost and keep in a glasshouse, conservatory or on a windowsill in strong sunlight. They need to be kept at 23-25°C to germinate.
- When seedlings have several leaves, prick out and feed with a weak seaweed fertiliser.
- Pot on a month later and pinch out seedlings at 15-20cm.
- Pots kept outside need to be against a south-facing wall or on a sheltered terrace, bring inside in cool or wet weather.
- Keep slugs and snails at bay.
- Large-fruited cultivars will need staking so they don’t topple over.