The heat is on...

Well we've finally seen some sunshine and the chilli house is working well, keeping the plants warm even on the overcast days.  Problem is it's working almost too well with the temperatures rocketing up to the high 30s .  This has resulted in some scorching on the delicate seedlings which are placed nearer the top of the house. 

Scorched Scotch Bonnet

I'll have to keep a closer eye on the weather but with all of the weather forecasts being so inaccurate, it's easy to get caught out when a day starts dull and then perks up by midday.

The garden is thriving, with the mass of ferns loving the rain showers and humid days. The veggies are slowly progressing but without prolonged sunshine I've got my doubts as to how many tomatoes we'll see this year.

Paper Lantern Habanero

However, the chillies are looking impressive, a Paper Lantern Hab managed to outgrow its new pot in only a fortnight, I've now transplanted it into one of the two Chilligrows to see how it fares there.

One other aspect of the garden is also thriving - the aphids.  It's become a daily routine checking for these little blighters, squashing them and hosing them off.  I've tried another method as well, a vicious concoction of crushed chillies, garlic and soap, left to steep in warm water and then diluted for use. This is sprayed onto the affected leaves and should (in theory) deter the pests.  I'm not sure about the aphids bit it's certainly deters me - the smell is quite vile and the chilli fumes catch the back of the throat. I'll keep you posted as to the success of this pungent potion.

Potting On

The seedlings on the windowsills have been doing well and it was time to pot them. This was the second batch of seedlings, planted to replace the plants I lost back at Easter. I'd planted multiple seeds into small pots and used a large amount of vermiculite in the mix. The seedlings had developed fantastic root systems, helped along by the open light mix of the compost.  I gently separated them and planted them into their own pots with a compost mix containing Perlite to help keep the air and moisture into the soil.

The root systems on these little seedlings are really impressive.

The scotch Bonnet seedlings all potted on into the obligatory plastic cups.

The new chilli house is working well and even on an overcast and rainy day is at a comfortable 20 c. I'll have to add some shelving onto the back wall to take some of the smaller pots and maximise the use of the space.

The new chilli house is packed full

Having tried my had at chilli burgers a while back and been a bit disappointed by the lack of spice, I decided to try again with a little more kick in the new batch.

The recipe was simple, a kilo of lean minced beef, half a dozen garlic cloves, salt, pepper and four of the largest red Habaneros I could find.  All blitzed and mixed, it made 8 burgers (I treated myself to a Lakeland Burger Press) and we cooked them over a good old-fashioned charcoal barbecue.

The huge Habs ready to go into the burgers

The Habanero burgers were a big hit.

The burgers were spot on for heat, having enough chilli in them to get the lips tingling and with a bit of lasting burn but without being too hot for those not used to the heat.

We popped into Cheltenham food festival the other day to sample all the fantastic produce on display.  I love food festivals, trying all the samples and talking to the actual producers of the food makes a pleasant change from the supermarket shop.

The haul of chilli produces from Cheltenham Food Festival

I took the opportunity to restock with Upton Cheyney's fantastic Chipotle sauce and we got some more of the Chilli Peanut butter from Fire Foods, having used most of the last jar to make a superb satay sauce for chicken.

I do realise that I have quite a few chilli sauces now, perhaps it's about time I started using some up before buying any more...

There are a few unusual hazards to growing chillies but I never thought cats would be one.  However, this is the sight that greeted me this morning when I went into the garden. One of the many cats in the neighbourhood (all of whom treat our garden fence as a highway) had jumped onto the roof of the small chilli house and gone straight through. Somebody needs to cut down on the Whiskas.

Time for a new roof

Fixing the roof with a sturdier sheet of polycarbonate wasn't too hard, the same can't be said for the poor Friar's Hat chilli that was underneath it at the time - a rather extreme case of pinching out.

The battered Friar's Hat

Bring on the summer

The second and third wave of chillies are now progressing well.  The sporadic sunlight is a bit of a hinderance but I'm hoping that I might get a late crop from some of the more mature plants.  

Some superhots on the windowsill

To help this along I also bought a few established seedlings from the local garden nurseries. I'd prefer to grow all my plants from seeds, not only for the satisfaction but also because it provides a wider range of chillies. The garden centres have traditionally only stocked a few of the more common varieties, such as Jalapenos and Hungarian Wax.

However, Dundry Nurseries in Cheltenham had an impressive selection of plants including some unusual varieties.  I picked up a Lemon Drop, a couple of Friar's Hats (as mine didn't make it through the winter), a Fatalii and a Naga Jolokia.

A real mixture of second and third wave seedlings with some of the shop-bought plants.

More surprising was the selection available at the normally pedestrian local Homebase.  In a "Death by Chilli" triple pack, I got a (fairly common) Scotch Bonnet, a more unusual Golden Cayenne and best of all, a Paper Lantern Hab. All for the discount price of £4.  Whilst I'm usually suspicious of buying from the big chain superstores because of their habit of forcing plants to fruit early, I've kept the chillies sheltered in the growhouse and they seem to be thriving.

Potting on the Red Scotch Bonnet

The overwintered De Arbol and Scorpions are repotted. 

The overwintered Scorpion, ready to be transplanted to a Chilligrow,

With more plants to be moved off the windowsills I decided to construct a third growhouse in the garden, this time somewhere that has more than a few hour's sun. So I set to work with paper and pen and soon had the the plans of what would become a gargantuan chillihouse.

Ready to begin

The house is built on stilts to keep it away from the cold ground and give it more sun in the late evening.

Yes, it really is that big.  This is a smaller version than the original, I reduced the size whilst making it so it didn't overshadow the neighbourhood.

The (almost) finished house. Clad in 6mm twinwall polycarbonate, it should retain the sun's warmth into the evening.

The door on the front and roof are temporary as I'll soon be replacing them with some clear perspex doors that are prettier and will allow me to see the plants. However, in the meantime the twinwall polycarb will at least keep the plants snug and warm during this week of unsettled weather.

I'll post up some photos of the finished house as soon as I can.

In other news, the Chilli Challenge is hotting up with Neil giving us a sneak peak of his entries (see the previous blog for other competitors' entries).  I'm reliably informed that they're kept under 24 hour armed guard to ensure that no-one attempts to nobble them (Not saying that he's competitive but he's already building a trophy cabinet).

They're certainly looking very impressive and I suspect that once again, this is down in part to Neil's secret weapon of a range in the kitchen which keeps the room (and his fledgling seedlings) in wrapped balmy tropical heat.

Neil's prized wedding chillies

Long time, no see

Well it's fair to say that there hasn't been an update to this blog for a while. 

There are lots of excuses I could trot out but the long and the short of it is that there hasn't been much to report.

Way back in March I admired my chilli seedlings, spoke encouraging words to them, patted them gently and then deserted them for close on a month. 

Upon my return from the somewhat sunnier climes of India, (complete with a bag of local chillies) I found the horticultural equivalent of a massacre. Over half of my precious seedlings had died. Even my mature plants, carefully overwintered had taken a beating. The scotch bonnets and nagas were infested with greenfly and despite root-to-root resuscitation eventually joined the compost-heap in the sky. 

Some of the surviving superhots

Some of the overwintered chillies in the hothouse

Why this is, I don't honestly know. The plants had been sprayed several times with organic pesticide but after a brief respites, the greenfly returned. The traditional remedy of spraying with soapy water only produced squeaky-clean aphids so finally I turned to a more rudimentary and brutal solution. I simply took the plants outside and blasted with a hosepipe on a fine spray. As unscientific as this drastic remedy might be, it not only removed the live aphids but also removed dying or dead leaves and cleared off the sticky residue that aphids leave behind which can inhibit photosynthesis. 

This is by no means a permanent solution and will require close scrutiny but it's eco-friendly and seems to have done the plants no lasting damage 

Meantime, to replace the missing plants I've initiated a second round of planting. Plenty of Scotch Bonnets, Dorset Nagas and assorted Habs have been sown and are progressing well on the (occasionally) sunny windowsill. Due to the late planting and the potentially iffy summer weather it's debatable if they'll fruit well this year but if I can overwinter them with more success this year then I'll have a headstart next season.

Replacement Scotch Bonnets

A second batch of superhots and Scotch Bonnets

Making the most of the sunshine

In other news, we recently visited the Eastnor Castle Chilli Festival and a good time was had by all. Despite the unexpectedly long queues (bought on by the unexpectedly good weather) we had plenty of time to peruse the chilli-ware stalls, sample the Indian and Mexican food on offer and even visit a slightly peculiar cookery demonstration (It was certainly an education learning how 'authentic Mexican cooking' uses soy sauce!)

That aside, there was plenty to attract the visitor, chilli-head or otherwise. The music was lively and fun, the food and drink was both plentiful and delicious and Clifton Chilli Club's Chilli Eating Contest was equally entertaining, hard-fought and wincingly brutal.

We did sample products from nearly all the chilli exhibitors on display and, by and large, were impressed. However, with so many small companies jumping on the chilli bandwagon, it's becoming harder to tell their products apart. 

It's not hard to make a chilli sauce and too many people are settling for a generic product with no unique selling point. Upton Cheyney use lots of home-grown ingredients in their delicious sauces and even smoke their own chipotles (still the best chipotle sauce I've ever tasted). Mr Vickies has the amazing Indian spices to define their brand. Grim Reaper foods have matched up their scorching sauces and chocolates with slick marketing and branding. Fat Man Chilli was impressive with the chillies in the sauce carefully matched to the alcoholic spirit used. There are plenty more to mention but all to many producers settling for a naga-laden hot sauce with no character or real flavour. Lets see some real originality in the flavour combinations.

Rant over.

Our modest haul from Eastnor Chilli Fest.  All of these products are fantastic and come highly recommended

Back in September we launched our chilli challenge at our wedding and I've received a few photos from participants.  Looks like some very successful growing, despite the odd weather.  Please keep the photos coming, I'm excited to see how everyone is getting on.

Claudio & Diana's

Lisa & Andy's (the ones on the right) 

Emma & James'

Spring is springing

This year's batch of seeds are doing well with most beginning to show their heads in the propagator. I've planted some Habanero varieties I've not grown before, including Peach Habs, Fruit Burst, Fatali and the wonderfully named Squat Frog. How could I resist growing a plant with such a great name.

Doset Naga seedlings

Habanero Fruit Burst

Habanero Squat Frog

The seeds came from Simpson's Seeds and the packets contained lots of helpful growing information about the varieties.  Certainly something that other seed providers could do with paying heed to.

Trinidad Scorpion, overwintered from last year

Red and Yellow Scotch Bonnets, overwintered from last year

 Most of the overwintered plants are beginning to throw out new shoots and leaves.  The Trinidad Scorpion plants are looking particularly good so I have high hopes for them.  I planted them very late last year so didn't expect to see any flowers or fruit.  Because they were so small I didn't cut them back hard before the winter so they've had a head start on some of the other plants.

Red and Yellow Scotch Bonnet seedlings

The Scotch Bonnet seedlings have been potted on to the party cups.  I've used plenty of perlite in the compost to improve aeration and water retention. Sadly the compost I used was very poor with lots of sticks and lumps in the bag.  I've sieved out the worst so hopefully it should be ok for the seedlings.  I understand the environmental reasons for avoiding peat in compost but it really does do a much better job for seeds and delicate seedlings.

Start the ball rolling

Ok, so weather wise we've only just finished digging ourselves out of the snow so it might seem a bit optimistic to think that spring is already here. However it is officially Imbolc, the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring.

The new arrivals, Scotch Bonnets, Dorset Nagas and Orange Habaneros

So what better time to start the ball rolling with the chillies.  The seedlings I planted a few weeks ago are doing well and today I've planted another small batch of seeds to fill in the gaps of those that didn't sprout.



The plants that I overwintered in the Chilli-Grows have been given a tidy up and I'm starting to feed them again.  One plant didn't survive, a Chocolate Habanero, so that's been uprooted and replaced with one of the Black Nagas that I had in a smaller pot.






The Chocolate Habs were a real disappointment last year, of the half a dozen plants that grew, only one produced fruit and that happened to be one that I'd given away to a colleague.  I'm trying Magnum Orange Habaneros this year so we'll see how they perform.


I kept some plants in the coldframe outside with a heater set to 10 degrees to see how they managed.  One or two died due to mold or die-back (where the stems turn brown and hollow).  However, there's a number that seem to have made it through.  They're looking a little worse for wear with some dead stems and lots of dried leaves.  Over the next couple of weeks I'll clean them up and start feeding them in an attempt to kickstart them back into action.

Sunburn being made - it's quite a limited edition

I used up the last of the frozen Yellow Scotch Bonnets  from last season by making some more 'Sunburn' Sauce.  It's a sweet, tropical sauce using mangos and papaya.  It's not too insanely hot but has a nice lingering burn on the mouth and lips, a lot, I suspect, due to the quantities of ginger in there.


'Sunburn' has to be the most popular sauce I've made so I've ensured that there are plenty of Scotch Bonnet seedlings in the propagator.  If I can get enough fruiting then I could have a bit of a production line going for the Sunburn and maybe even sell a few bottles.

Finally, those of you that took up the Chilli Challenge at our wedding need to start getting those seeds planted soon. If you're in need of propagators, pots or advice then drop me a line and there's some helpful hints here

Happy New Year

Well no recent posts and nothing much to mention. The chillies have been cut back for overwintering and are safely ensconced on the window sills inside the house.

I've rigged up the growlight to provide a little extra light during these dark months. It does an admirable job of lighting up the chillies, along with the back garden and half the neighbourhood.

As for the Chilligrow experiment, well they seem to be coping as well as the potted chillies. I've had to cut back the watering as the continually damp soil promoted mould to form on the surface of the soil. However, the chillies need less water and nutrients during the winter anyway so I doubt it will do them harm.

I'm now lining up the chillies for the new year's growth. I'm concentrating on the superhots as they offer a better return for yield per space, despite their longer growing season. The new seeds for 2013 are:

Habanero Magnum Orange
Trinidad 7 Pot Jonah
Scotch Bonnet Red & Yellow
Dorset Naga
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Chilli)

The seeds are now planted so fingers crossed we'll be seeing some results within a week or two.

As for the chilli sauces, well I've gone from one extreme to the other. Firstly was the Christmas Cracker, a seasonal cranberry and apple with a mild chilli hit. Is was popular at the Christmas dinner table, even with those who don't appreciate the hotter sauces.

And then there was the Hellish Relish...

Three Dorset Nagas, five Black Nagas and about two dozen Red Habaneros went into making just three bottles. The hardest part of making the sauce was the tastings. After sampling half a teaspoon of the devilish brew it required 20 minutes and a pint of milk for the burn to die sufficiently before I could taste again.

There's still two bottles left but when and where I'll find anyone brave enough to tackle them remains to be seen...