The 2016 Chilli Thread

Any advise please pic below are my trinadad scorpion chilli plants - never grown them before should I cut down the big top leaves all let them be ? I know there small for this time of year was late starting this year due to house move have got lights for later in the year if need

 

Scotch bonnet started from seed same time as scorpions - the slowest chillis I have ever grown !

 

Just made our first batch of chilli jam today (the Guardian "sweet chilli jam" recipe).

Simple recipe...
150-200g small red chillies (we used mainly Ream and Cayenne, with a few Apache), finely chopped
400ml cider vinegar
1kg jam sugar
Rolling boil for 15 mins, then bottle.

(Corrected to amend rolling boil time)

Wow!!
Stunning! Sweet, then rich chilli flavour, then chilli tingle. We will repeat!!
(Excuse the clutter in the background - definitely a "working" kitchen!)

 

This is my 1st year of giving Chillis a go. I was given a packet of Unwins Demon Red Chilli seed so thought I had nothing to loose. I got quite a few seeds to germinate and they are now in the soil beds in my greenhouse looking extremely healthy and have a few chillis developing and dozens and dozens of flowers. The developing chillis are green and black .... black? which seems rather odd but the chillis appear perfectly healthy and not soft of shrivelled. Maybe it's the variety? They are now being fed with Tomato food
My greenhouse is unheated.With the summer fast disappearing would it be an idea to pot them up and bring them into the house in the hope that many of the flowers will have time to develop into viable chillis? Also is it worth trying to over winter the plants and if so do you stop watering/ feed or not and if so with what? and keep in a room which is pretty warm/sunny?
I have zero knowledge of what a good varieties to grow, is there maybe a website which might give me ideas of what to grow next season. Can take pretty hot and often make chilli con carne from scratch which some may think should come with a health warning. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks very much @shiney, great info. I will pot them up around the end of September and do as you suggest. Is Tomato feed ok for them? I also have Phostrogen but that's the only alternative. I don't go in for loads of fancy feeds as I have a "feed" making machine out in a field!
Any recommendations as to varieties to grow? Next season I am not going to bother to grow Courgettes in the greenhouse (outside up here they aren't that good unless a very good summer). They take up a hell of a lot of room and we aren't that keen on them so will have a little extra space for more chillis.

 

Tomato feed is fine but would only give it 2 times a week at most. I definitely recommend Fatalii for next year they one of my faves a little hotter than scotch bonnet. My absolute fave is 7pot SR but that is HOT !!!!!

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Thanks @Jonathan Hind . I had a quick Google of 7pot SR and see I could get seed off Ebay. It's described as Hell Hot Chilli!

 

Have a look at www.semillas.de click on the union jack tho unless you can translate. They cheap and absolutely top quality !!

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Try not to spend to much haha !!

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I grow chillies outdoors, and thinking that probably a Belgian patio summer is equivalent to a Scottish unheated greenhouse summer?

What have we grown successfully? Lombardo, an Italian green jalepeno type chilli - we find they tend to go red, and hotter (!!) by the end of the summer. Apache F1 - hubby bought some plug plants from tescos this year, and we were so pleased we will be trying from seed next year. Ring of fire did well last year, but we didn't have any seeds this year. Ream have done well this year, but can be reluctant to set fruit indoors, at least to start with. From Wilkos own seed range, Cayenne have been good (quite a large, leggy plant), as have Patio sizzle (- dwarf plant with upward-pointing fruit).
If we were to grow just two, I think it would be Apache and Lombardo, the first for their heat and flavour in cooking (1 is enough for pasta sauce for two), and the second as a great pickling chilli.

 

No idea what these are, sis put em in me greenhouse