Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

24 AMATEUR GARDENING24 AUGUST 2019

Chillipeppersarebestgrownin an
unheatedtunnelorgreenhouse,but
theywillgrowhappilyin growingbags
orin pots.Graftedplants,in particular,
dowellin thebordersoil.
Ifgrowingoutside,choosea warm,
sunnyandshelteredsituation.
Orderseedoryoungplantsin winter,
andtreatthemin the same way as you
wouldtomatoes.
Germinateseedat 21ºC(70ºF) and
prickoutinto3½in/9cmpots.
Potupplugplantsandgrowonbefore
hardeningoff,forplantingunder cover
in May, and outside in June.

Plants perform well in growing bags

Planting chilli peppers

Chilli plant aftercare

Taller varieties need stout supports

Ingeneral,growchilliesasyouwould
tomatoes– althoughthey appreciate a
littleextrawarmth.
Keepplantswellwatered,andfeed
regularly;a tomatofeedis ideal.
Supporttallervarietieswithstout
canes,tyingthemin astheydevelop.
Pinching out is not normally necessary

THEREarevarietiesof chilliwith

purpleleaves,andthosewith

variegatedleaves– bothmake

particularlyattractiveplantsaswell

asproducinga goodcropof fruits.

‘TricolorVariegatum’,withgreen

leavessplashedin creamandpurple,

plusmassesof smallpurplefruits

thatmaturetored,is theonlyAGM-

winningoption.Lookout,too,for

‘Calico’,‘HotRod’and‘PurpleTiger’

although these don’t have the award.

Regular watering and feeding are crucial

Outside and in?

INourchangeableclimate,

chillipeppersusuallycropmost

prolificallyundercover.Butyou

don’tneedheat– anunheated

greenhouseortunnelis fine– andif

youhavenoprotection,youcanstill

growa goodcropof chilliesoutside.

Someenthusiastsgrowtheirs

hydroponicallyorunderlights.

Choosethemostvigorous

varietiesforoutdoorgrowing–

I findthatgraftedplantsdevelop

significantlybetterrootsystems

thanregularseedlings– andplant

in a warmandsunnysite.In front

of a west-orsouth-facingfenceor

wallwithrichbutwell-drainedsoil

worksbestforme.Plantingin a

slightdipwillhelpwithwatering;

justbesurenottoburythegraft

union(thejoin)of graftedplants.

A mulchof black-whitepolythene

is alsoa greathelp,insideorout.

Layit whitesideuptoreflectlight

and heat upwards to the plants.

astheplantsbranchnaturally after

thefirstfruitis picked.

Lookoutforwhitefly,redspidermite

andaphids.Useyourchosentreatment:

biologicalcontrolworksundercover.

Coolandovercastweathercan

slowgrowthanddelaymaturity of

outdoor-grown plants.

Pot on plug plants before hardening off

Choosea sunnyspot for

outdoor growing

Ornamental

chillies

Chillieslike‘PurpleTiger’havefruit

that looks good in the garden