Topic: Chillis

[grawrc]

Following the advice I got from vaious folk in the chatroom last night I have now bought 2 packets of chilli seeds: one de cayenne and the other hot jalapeno. Before sowing I wonder if anyone could tell me what the approximate yield per plant is likely to be?

[Curryandchips]

Ha ha - how long is a piece of string !

I cannot comment on the yield of jalapeno, as I have never grown them, but have had success with the cayenne variety for a few years. I think I have cropped about 30-40 chillies per plant for the fully grown plants, and perhaps 10 on a few undeveloped plants that struggled. I ended up with an ice cream container filled with the fiery beasts, which was enough for me, as I am the only one to eat them. I would suggest you grow as many as you can cope with, space will limit you after all. What doesnt get eaten fresh can be stored by a variety of methods, freezing, oil, pickling, not to mention chutneys and relishes.

I wish you good luck, and the best of heat !

[grawrc]

Thank you Curry. They will have to share the greenhouse space with the tomatoes so that does limit how many I can grow, however with a yield as good as you suggest I should not need to plant too many. I'm intending to plant them in large pots rahter than in the soil, what do you reckon? Or would growbags be suitable?

[Curryandchips]

I use pots, Morrison's cut flower pots would you believe ...  ;)

[grawrc]

Thanks again I'll pay Morrison's a visit in the morning. :)

[pakaba]

hi
That has answered some of my chilli questions thank you.  I thought i'd only get 4 chillis per plant. ???

 I am growing them for the first time too,and am very excited as it's my first year with a greenhouse as well.   I am growing 2 packets that i received free with magazines, heatwave and hot and spicey.  I think that they are a varierty of plants so who knows what i will end up with.  intially i sowed 8 seeds but they didn't germinate well. So i borrowed my mums heated propagator sowed all the seeds and now have about 35 plants :o  

Oh well the school fete is in May i will give some to them  to sell!

lets hope we have good weather tommorow too :)

Paula

[amphibian]

I got 60 peppers off my cayenne plant last year... still have a load now.

[Curryandchips]

Wow Amphibian, well done ! Note to self, must try harder ...  :D

[pakaba]

Amphibian,

well done ;D  How have you stored them?

Paula

[amphibian]

Amphibian,

well done ;D  How have you stored them?

Paula

I tied them into strings and dried them, now in tupperware boxes.

[pakaba]

where did you dry them?

(sorry to keep asking questions?)

Paula

[greyhound]

I froze mine last year, just popped them straight into freezer bags loose.  You can use them straight from the freezer, they are easy to slice from frozen, no fuss at all.

[tim]

We love them, but only use them slowly. I only grow a couple every 2 years. This is about 1/2 the 2004 crop. (3lb)

Freezing? Yes - but if keeping for months, bag up small batches & get all the air out or, like most things, they'll become snowballs!

Outside? For good ripening, I would say 'no' - unless you are south & have a sunny area.

[grawrc]

Thanks for all the excellent advice. The cayenne ones I intend to freeze fro curries and suchlike. The jalapeno ones are for my son who's an addict and gets through jars of them. They'll need to be pickled, so once I've successfully gorwn them I'll be back looking for advice on pickling. ;)

[STHLMgreen]

Wow! I didn't kow a chilli plant gave so many either. We like the food spicy!
Now they're definitely on the top of my wish list.

Good to read all of your posts for when I give them a try in containers.

[redimp]

We love them, but only use them slowly. I only grow a couple every 2 years. This is about 1/2 the 2004 crop. (3lb)

Freezing? Yes - but if keeping for months, bag up small batches & get all the air out or, like most things, they'll become snowballs!

Outside? For good ripening, I would say 'no' - unless you are south & have a sunny area.

Agree and disagree with Tim here - south and east as far as Northumberland would be good enough for ripening outside.  The East (of the Pennines) has more of a continental climate so although it gets colder quicker in Autumn, it is generally hotter and sunnier during the summer.

[tim]

I bow!!

'They' normally say that they need heat to get heat. Don't know - I just take what comes.

[grawrc]

Ah but here I'm north of the Pentlands so will probably stick with the greenhouse.

[Curryandchips]

'They' could well be right from my observations Tim, but like you, I am grateful for what I get.

[grawrc]

Unless of course I can get this d**n avatar dragon to breathe fire like it's supposed to.!