Spring has sprung (sort of)

Things have been somewhat quiet on the growing front recently.  The chilli house is performing as expected, keeping most of the plants alive.  I've lost a couple due to die-back (expected) and a few have been ravaged by aphids (not expected).

To counter the green, munching pests I've lowered the temperature in the room slightly and given the affected plants a hosing-down to remove the tenacious critters.  A couple of yellow, sticky fly traps have helped remove their flying cousins as well.

Soon I'll up the temperature and light in the room and kickstart the plants back into life - doubtless the aphids will return then so I'll need to find a suitable solution to them, perhaps this is the year to invest in some Ladybirds.

The seeds that I planted recently have been doing well. The germination rate has been superb for the seeds purchased from Simpson Seeds with a hit-rate over 90%, however the Padron seeds I collected from the family's plants in Spain have so far failed to produce a single seedling. This is a little disappointing but I had to collect the seeds from unripe fruit (Padrons are picked and eaten green), we'll just have to have another holiday in Galicia soon to collect some more...

Seedlings coming up - clockwise from bottom left: Chocolate Hab, 7 Pot Hab, Black Tongued Scorpion, Joe's Long, Ancho 

Chocolate Habanero

Due to a lack of space under the growlights I thought I'd risk the south-facing bedroom window. The weather's been a bit erratic and consequently some of the seedlings have grown a bit leggy.  When I transplant them I'll make sure the stems are buried nice and deep so they shouldn't keel over too easily and they should be ok.

The larger varieties, such as Ancho and Joe's Long, are looking quite leggy, compared to the slower growing habaneros in the background

In the meantime I've kept myself amused with some photography.  I've been drying out last year's crop of chillies in the oven and was taken with their translucent quality. A lightbox and macro lens later and I had some chilli portraits to show for my efforts.

A new season

It's that time of year again, time to start thinking about the new season and what to plant.

The hotter varieties, such as Habanneros can be quite slow growing and therefore benefit from a longer season. 

With the addition of the new grow room and a heated propagator it's the perfect excuse to make an early start to the season.  I've chosen a variety of sees this year to give me a crop for all occasions.

1. Chocolate Habanero - Very hot and full of flavour, I first grew these a few years back and although the plants flourished, they bore no fruit (except for the plants that I gave away). Determined not to be beaten, I'm given them a second try.

2. Yellow Seven Pot Habanero. This year's volcanic choice. Superhot and flavoursome, I'm looking forward to growing these gnarly pods.

3. Pimentos de Padron. I collected these seeds from our family that we visited in Galicia in northern Spain earlier this year, within just a few miles of the town of Padron itself. These randomly spicy tapas peppers are delicious when fried in olive oil and liberally scattered in salt.

4. Black Tongued Scorpion. A new one for me, these chillies resemble black scotch bonnets but with less heat. How could I possibly resist a chilli with a name like a death metal band.

5. Joe's Long Cayenne. This is our chilli challenge for this year so I felt it prudent to plant a few extra seeds for those who join the challenge late.

For planting I used a mixture of a sifted potting compost and plenty of vermiculite. Hopefully this light mix should promote good healthy roots and make the seedlings easy to pot on into a hydroponic system should I choose to do so. Here the planted seed trays are floated in water to dampen the compost. Using this technique rather than watering the compost is less likely to over-compact it.

Once soaked the trays were topped with vermiculite and placed in the heated propagator. This propagator isn't thermostat controlled I've added a thermometer so I can keep track on the temperature. For germination 25-28 C is ideal, once the seeds start sprouting then the temperature can be dropped a little. 

The heater in the chilli room is working well, rigged up to a thermostat it's keeping a steady temperature as shown by this maximum and minimum thermometer which has barely wavered in the month it's been running.

Despite the relatively low temperatures and the limited artificial light, the chillies that I've overwintered are not only coping but positively thriving. The Aji Lemon Drop that grew so prolifically during the summer has refused to stop and despite the severe haircut I gave it, is throwing out new growth already. I've cut back on the hours of light they're receiving to ensure that they're not too monstrous by the time spring comes. 

Final Harvest

Summer is officially at an end, the clocks have changed, the leaves are falling, the first frost has been seen and it's time to bed the chillies in for winter.

As you may have seen from the previous post I've been busy finishing off the chilli cave to house the plants through the colder months, it was now time to give them a severe pruning and rehouse them.

Before this could take place I had to harvest all of the remaining fruit, ripe or otherwise.

The Chilligrow plants before their haircut...

...and after a short back and sides.

It was time to call an end to the hydroponic experiment. Despite having produced an impressive amount of fruit, "the Gurgler" had stopped working properly in recent weeks with the water not draining fully back into the reservoir.  I suspected that this was because the roots had grow so vigourously that they were blocking the outlet for the pump.  Upon pulling up the plants, my suspicions were confirmed with the most impressive root growth I've seen on a chilli this year.  Next year I'll use a modified system with the plants growing in root pouches to contain the roots and stop them fouling the flood inlet and outlet.

The results from the Gurgler - a Peach Habanero and an Orange Magnum Habanero with impressive roots.

Since I have several Orange Habs already overwintering I haven't bothered trying to rescue that plant but the Peach Hab has been potted on into compost to see if it survives the winter.

The chillies in their new home

The Chilligrows and assorted pots basking in the CFL lights

Some of the plants in Root Pouches.  These have performed well this year and I'll certainly be using them again.

The collected chillies from the harvest over half-filled a large shopping bag.  Not up to commercial grower standards but more than respectable for my little setup.

Some of the final harvest, ready for sorting.

Many of the chillies were still green when picked so they're now on windowsills waiting for the winter sun to ripen them up before they're chopped and frozen or strung up to dry.

This year was all about testing different habaneros for the best flavour.  I grew Magnum Orange, Fatalii, Peach and Squat Frog varieties, alongside the milder Scotch Bonnets and the much, much hotter Trinidad Scorpion.

The hotter chillies - L to R: Trinidad Scorpion, Yellow Scotch Bonnet, Fruit Burst Hab, Orange Magnum Hab, Squat Frog, Fatalli and Peach Hab

Once everything has ripened as best possible, I'll start the sauce making process.  It'll be trial and error matching each variety up to an appropriate flavour so expect plenty of culinary experimentation and no shortage of burnt mouths.

The Chilli Cave

In the UK chillies are usually grown as annual plants and discarded at the end of each season. However, in their native habitats they are perennials and over the course of years can grow to the size of small trees. With careful nurturing, chillies can make it through the unpredictable UK winters and into the next spring.

The advantage is that the plants will be fully developed in plenty of time for flowering and fruiting and therefore have a longer season and, hopefully, be more productive.

This is particularly useful for the slower-growing superhot varieties such as Habaneros, Nagas and Scorpions, some of which are only hitting their peak just before the first frosts arrive.

In order to prepare the plant for overwintering you need to put the plant into a dormant state.  This can be achieved by cutting back the majority of the growth, just leaving 6 inches or so of main and a few side stems. Cut back on the feeding and watering and leave in a sunny spot with a temperature of around 10-15 degrees centigrade. 

There are more than a few people out there who can offer far better advice than I can so I'll let them do the talking;

Clifton Chilli Club has a great video here.

And chilli-master Matt Simpson offers his sage advice here.

Before I was able to overwinter my most valuable plants, I needed somewhere to store them.  Without enough windowsill space, I had to resort to artificial lights.  I've got a couple of 125W CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) units which although not bright enough to grow a plant throughout the season, are certainly capable of overwintering one.  If I could find a suitably frost-free spot then I would be ready for the winter.

The garden shed was the perfect size but was a little damp and draughty so I would need to seal and insulate before I could install the necessary benches and lights. Thus began the most over-engineered project I've ever undertaken in the name of hot sauce...

Floor is sealed with membrane paint and the underlay is added.

Laminate flooring going down. 

The floor is finished.

New rafters for the ceiling and the first of the plywood panels go up.

The existing light is above the new ceiling so a fluorescent fitting is added to the ceiling.

Meanwhile, battens are screwed to the outside walls, and MDF panels are fixed over Rockwool insulation. 

Cramming insulation into all the gaps that might let in a draught.

The end wall is completed.

Plenty of insulation is added into the ceiling space and last panels screwed into place.

Side wall panelled and yet more insulation going in. 

Finished boxing in the window.  This will have a reflective blind over to keep the light in at night. 

One coat of white paint over everything. Another to follow.

Reflective film is added to the walls.  The diamond pattern on this material helps scatter the light, preventing 'hotspots'.

The blind is added over the window. This can be easily removed in the spring when the room can revert to being a tool shed.

Benches were made from some spare worktops and some scrap 2x4 lumber.  To test their strength I jumped up and down on them - if they can cope with me then the chillies will be a breeze.

The grow lights were then attached to chains, fixed to the ceiling with cup hooks.  This is a quick & easy way of altering their heights to adjust to the growth of the plants.  because CFL lamps don't produce much heat, the bulbs can be placed very close to plants if needs be.

The finished room.  The shelving in the middle will hold the propagators with some additional fluorescent strip lights.

 So the room ready to use.  I need to check the temperatures with a maximum/minimum thermometer to determine how much heating is needed, if any. Humidity may be an issue when the plants start growing in spring but by then it may be mild enough to allow an air vent or fan to be fitted without fear of freezing the plants.

Next step - relocating the chillies...