I’m fanatical about chillies and the flavour bring to a dish. The varieties that are available in the supermarket are fine, but they are limited to Thai Green Chillies and Scotch Bonnets in these parts. Sometimes you just need something else. Admittedly you only really need a few more flavours, but this year I’m trying out 25 varieties.
Okay. I’m fanatical yes, but the large number of varieties is down to a mix-up – both my wife and I thought we were to buy them, resulting in double the amount we’d usually sow.
This year we are hoping to grow –
- Aji Cachucha, Cristal, Dedo de Moça and Limon
- Big Bomb
- Bulgarian Carrot
- Cayenne
- Fresno
- Habaneros – orange, red, white, chocolate, mustard, yellow and Big Sun varieties
- Jalapeño
- Locoto de la Noni
- Peperoncino Veena
- Poblano
- Prairie Fire
- Pretty Purple
- Rocoto Aji Lougo
- Rocoto Péron
- Serrano
- Tricolour
Most of these varieties need a warmish spot to germinate, and so I’ve temporarily repurposed a storage container from the cellar. That saves a few quid on a propagator, and because it is so big it also means I can germinate a larger quantity in one go. Just over half of the varieties were started off in there on the 16th January, and I will keep them in there until the second set of leaves are on the seedlings.
At the moment the Jalapeños are storming ahead, but with the temperature being held between 27-32°C (80-90°F) more are popping up every day.
So who else is growing chillies? Anyone up for a seed swap later in the year? I’d love to hear what you are up to so be sure to leave a comment below.
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