Chili Peppers
How to sow chillies successfully under cover?
To sow chillies under cover, it's best to start in early spring, around March-April. Use individual pots or cups filled with light, well-drained potting soil. Place the chilli seeds about 0.5 cm deep in the potting soil and water lightly to maintain constant moisture without soaking the soil.
Place your pots near a source of constant heat and good light, without direct sunlight. Make sure you maintain a constant temperature of around 20-25°C to encourage germination. Don't forget to aerate the plants regularly to prevent fungal diseases.
As soon as the plants have developed a few leaves, you can transplant them into the ground or into larger pots. Be sure to protect them from late frosts by bringing them in at night or covering them with a protective veil. If you follow these tips, your chillies should grow healthily and produce a fine crop of spicy chillies.
How do I plant chillies?
To grow chillies in your garden, choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Chillies can be planted in the ground or transplanted after sowing indoors. To sow indoors, start at the end of February/beginning of March in individual pots. Chillies can be transplanted outdoors when there is no risk of frost, generally at the end of May.
Prepare the soil by adding compost to feed the plants naturally, without using chemical fertilisers. Chillies prefer slightly acidic soil, with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Water regularly, but leave the soil to dry out between waterings to prevent root rot.
It's important to mulch around your chilli plants to keep the soil fresh, limit weeds and retain moisture. Avoid handling the plants too much to avoid damaging the fragile roots.
As the chillies grow, you can stake them to support them. To encourage growth and fruit production, don't hesitate to pinch the ends of the stems to encourage the development of new shoots.
How can I harvest chillies efficiently?
Peppers are generally harvested in late summer or early autumn, when the fruit is fully ripe. To obtain really tasty chillies, we recommend picking them when they are well coloured, starting to soften slightly and develop a more pronounced flavour. They can be picked by hand, cutting them gently with scissors or a knife.
.It is important to handle chillies with care, as their juice can be irritating to the skin and eyes. It is advisable to wear gloves when picking and handling chillies.
Fresh chillies should be eaten fresh.
Fresh chillies generally keep for a few weeks at room temperature, but it is possible to dry them for longer storage. Simply hang them in a well-ventilated place, out of direct sunlight, until they are completely dry. Once dry, chillies can be stored for up to a year in a cool, dry place.
Chili Peppers
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Fruiting vegetables
- Botanical Family : Solanaceae
Characteristics
- Lifecycle : Annual
- Exposure : Full Sun
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Sensitive
- Cultivation Difficulty : Challenging
- Adult Height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
- Greenhouse Growing : Recommended
- Sowing Depth : 0.5 cm
- Plant Spacing : 50 cm
- Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Moderate
- Water Requirements : High
Seeds
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Sowing