Chillies 2025

I can also attest to Shiney hybrids! I sowed their offspring a couple of weeks ago in a heated propagator and after, despite a hellish cold spell, I spy seedlings are on the go.Not all come true from seed but it doesn’t matter, they are used and enjoyed whatever is produced. Last summer was memorable for all the wrong reasons, it never seemed to stop raining and not warm. Ok I grow chillis in my unheated greenhouse but other varieties did not do very well while Shiney specials produced regardless!

 

I've been lucky. Every one of my Shineybrids come true but I must admit they ARE pampered. When comes to spring, they have their own 4x6' greenhouse. And of course, it is named "Shineyland"

 

That growhouse is called, "Hotel California ".....

 

My chilli seedlings are sitting on capillary matting on a heat tray with artificial light. Question for you experts should I water from the top or bottom?

 

I always just add water to the receptacle that the matting taps for water. I top it up every morning.

Oh and I use capillary watering when they are potted up and outside too. Works a lot better than top watering and yes, the soil stays wet/damp but the plants don't seem to mind.

 

Started germinating them yesterday, bit earlier than last year

 

Got one from last year still going strong on the kitchen windowsill. Reckon it'll have a head start. Going to give it a mini prune.

 

My ultimate guide for growing chillies from seed following my research.
1. When seedlings appear in seed compost you water from the top or the bottom.
2. Soil should not be too wet or too dry.
3. Temperature should not be too cold or hot.
4. Seedlings should be repotted when 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 inches high / or when first 2 leaves appear or when first 2 true leaves appear.
5. Repot into 3 inch pots using JI No 2. With perilite
6. Then bigger and bigger pots until you put them in the finale pot using JI No 3. With perilite. Or any home made concoction.
7. 5 inch finale pot minimum. Or 6 inch.
8. Top them or not to top is the question. Top them when they reach 6 inches or when 12 inches top down to bottom 2 leaves or top where you like.
Advice on the internet is plenty and contradictory.
I have come to the conclusion if you are successful in growing chillies then just do your own thing.

 

Mine start in soil blocks (2"x2"x2") and then if they germinate and and sprout upward, they are moved to (3.5"x3.5") x5" deep pots. Why this size? Because I have loads of good, thick walled and colourful ones in that size that fit perfectly on my 1020 trays.

The final pots are: smallest are 7x7 x8" deep and the largest are round "1.5 gallon" plastic children's beach buckets with handles. Why those? because they were cheap and colourful. I just used my old soldering iron to melt a hole in the bottom and feed and piece of felt up in. The felt very efficiently taps the water up into the pot.

In the fall, when the chilies are done, I harvest them all and clean the pots, refill with new potting soil and put them back in the greenhouse ready for next year.

As soon as it is consistently 40f and up outside, I move the small pots out of my growing area in the cellar and put them in the waiting pots.

They are just about always wet and never dry because that's how capillary works.

And yes, to each their own.

 

I have just sown my seeds. My daughter has 2 plants she has kept going from last year in her bathroom, one has tiny chillies on it which I think she is going to pinch off. The other one has flowers coming. I am going to share some of my plants with her "if" they germinate.
If we have a surplus of chillies we pick them and put them in a screw top jar, cover them with vinegar to use in salads and cooking. Or they can be strung onto cotton thread, hung up to dry and used in cooking.

 

This is how I store mine. Chopped and frozen.