Topic: Early chillies - Mild & Hot

[grepmonkey]

Hi, I am looking for some chillies, a mild and a hot variety that will be ready soonest.

Does anyone have any recommendations for quick ripening varieties?

Thanks

[Vinlander]

Early and prolific are different but related - I assume you want both.

I can recommend Cherry Bomb and Paprika Supreme as the earliest good croppers I've grown - from personal experience in the last poor summer (last 3 bad summers in the case of Cherry Bomb).

I also noticed in passing that a several online seed suppliers agree with both (though I can't  check out their other recommendations because most are from the US).

Both are medium hot, Cherry Bomb slightly milder than Paprika Supreme.

I'd love to find an early milder one myself - but I'm still looking. I've noticed that although Poblano was early in 2006 (a good year) it wasn't in 2007/8/9.

This suggests to me that average temps and light levels can make or break earliness in some varieties.

The ones I want are (like Cherry Bomb) early AND prolific AND tolerant of poor summers.

I've found that Black Hungarian is a halfway house between these two extremes - so it's worth a punt - especially as it is SO gorgeously ornamental.

Cheers.

PS. The other approach is to find ones that will overwinter indoors and give a head start in their second year - on that basis you could get some hot ones by looking at the C.baccatum (eg. Aji Hot) and especially C.pubescens (rocoto) species.

[Vinlander]

I forgot to say- if you go to your greengrocer and find chillies early in the year that come from Europe then buy them, try them, and sow the seed next Feb.

I did this with a 15cm conical chilli (semi-hot) that came from Holland early in 2008, and when I sowed and grew it, it turned out to be very early and prolific - had to be really to be fresh in the shops at that time.

I wouldn't normally recommend Dutch fruit and veg (just expensively packaged Rhine water and not much tastier) - but the chillies were OK and much better when I'd grown them.

In general seeds from fruits that taste good are worth trying (not tree or bush fruit though - much less likely to breed true).

Cheers.

[grepmonkey]

Thanks, yes thats what I am looking for, early varieties that are prolific.  I think I'll give cherry bomb a whirl.

[ajb]

Hi

For fast production try these:
Cherry: 75 days
Cayenne: 70 days
Hungarian Wax: 70 days (a big favourite of mine)
Pepperoncini: 65 days (these are generally used green)

There's a heat-scale here that you may find useful:http://www.abseeds.co.uk/heatscale.html

[gardentg44]

got some freebies form T&M (hot chevin)

supposed to be the worlds hottest chilli peper but slow to mature.

anyone grown these?

[Vinlander]

There's a heat-scale here that you may find useful:http://www.abseeds.co.uk/heatscale.html

I would disagree with their rating for Filius Blue - whenever I grow them they are a 7+ with absolutely no flavour whatsoever - a sensation like chewing broken glass!

Cheers.

[ajb]

Nice description :)

So they should just be classed as "ornamental" then? I'm growing some this year, and not looking forward to tasting them now.

[Vinlander]

Nice description :)

So they should just be classed as "ornamental" then? I'm growing some this year, and not looking forward to tasting them now.

'Course I've never eaten them while they're blue - too pretty at that stage.