I have a free packet of hot pepper seeds - and no greenhouse. Can I grow them outside? Do they get blight? (My tomatoes do) I have never tried them before and welcome all and any help!
I grow mine outside in buckets by a south facing wall, they seem to do better there than in my greenhouse.
Easy to grow with very little in the way of pests, and blight is certainly not a problem as they are not related to tomatoes/potatoes.
As potatoes Chillis are also Solanacae ie members of the Deadly Nightshade Family which also includes the potato, tomato, aubergine, deadly nightshade, chili, goji and tobacco but distant enough cousins to be blight free at the moment.
I find they like a bit of shelter from the wind.
Yes..'hot peppers' are same as chillies. (I'm going to bore you with some info now!)
Technically 'sweet' peppers and 'hot' peppers (=chillies) are the same..only different is the element of 'heat'.
You do have to start them off indoors..like you would do tomatoes..but they would like little bit more warmer conditions than tomatoes. Start them as soon as you can as they need longer growing season for cropping than tomatoes. Keep them is small pot size until they fill the pots and when re-potting, don't give too much 'room' in one go...they don't mind getting little pot bound (they don't tend to get wet feet if the 'shoe' is getting too tight).
If we have half decent weather this summer and you have spot in the garden that is bit of a 'sun trap' or warmer than other areas...there is good chance of success if grown in warm sheltered place.
Before taking the out into fresh air..grow them indoors as big as possible and when the chance of frosts have gone..get them slowly hardened off to new growing conditions. They do prefer being kept on dry side rather than being watered heavy handed..and once they start flowering, feed them weekly with tomato feed..BUT..with more diluted rate (half less feed used in water) than you would give for tomatoes.
If the summer would become wash out again...you can grow them on sunny windowsill as a 'house plants' in big pots and they will still grow and crop :icon_cheers:
Biggest threat for you chillies are excess wet, cold and aphids.. other than that, they are 'doddle' :icon_cheers:
Thanks alot. I will now plant the seeds and enjoy the challenge of something I've never tried before.
They need warmth to get them to germinate. pout the pot of seeds in a really warm place - I used to put them on top of the hot water tank till we got the new heating system - then grow them on on a windowsill until late May or early June if you want to put them outside.