How to grow Chillies in the UK
Need a long, warm season. Best on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse.
- DifficultyMore care needed
- WherePots
- Grows to60cm
- Spacing40cm
- Time to first pickabout 20 weeks
When to sow, plant and harvest chillies
| Sow indoors | mid January to late March |
|---|---|
| Plant out | early June to late June |
| Pick | mid July to mid October |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Starting it indoors
- Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
- Push the seeds in (0.5cm deep) - a couple per pot
- Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
- Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
- When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot
Planting it out
- Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 40cm apart each way
Top tips for growing chillies
- Sow early - they're slow.
- Wash your hands after touching chillies!
Looking after chillies
- Week 4: Feed with tomato food once a week when flowers appear
Soil and feeding
Rich compost, kept moist, in the warmest spot you have. Plant into good compost, then feed with tomato feed once a week as soon as the first flowers appear.
Pests and problems
- Blackfly & greenfly: tiny bugs that crowd the tips and suck the sap
- Squash greenfly with your fingers, or wash them off with a gentle spray of water
Harvesting and eating chillies
Cut them off with scissors. Green ones are milder, red ones are hotter.
How to eat them: Tiny bit in a stir-fry. A grown-up should chop them.
Storing chillies
Keeps 1-2 weeks.
- Keep in the fridge
Freeze whole in a bag - chop straight from frozen. Or thread onto string and hang up to dry.
Good varieties of chillies
- Apache: Small, bushy and hot - perfect on a windowsill.
- Hungarian Hot Wax: Mild and fruity - good for beginners.
- Padron: Fry them whole - most are mild, but one in ten is hot!
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Basil: basil likes the same warm, sunny spot
- French marigolds: the smell keeps whitefly and greenfly away
Saving your own chillies seed
From a fully ripe fruit, in late summer or autumn.
- Let one fruit ripen right through to its final colour
- Cut it open and scrape the seeds onto a plate
- Dry them for 2 weeks somewhere warm (chillies: wash your hands after - and don't touch your eyes!)
- Seeds from 'F1' varieties (it says on the packet) don't grow the same - save from ordinary ones.
Things to build for chillies
Where to buy chillies seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Chillies questions
When should I sow chillies in the UK?
In the UK, sow chillies indoors from mid January to late March. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When do I plant out chillies?
Plant chillies out from early June to late June, once the last frost has passed.
When can I pick chillies?
Chillies is ready from mid July to mid October. Cut them off with scissors. Green ones are milder, red ones are hotter.
How long do chillies take to grow?
Roughly 20 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are chillies easy to grow?
Chillies are rated 'more care needed' for beginners, and can be grown in pots and containers.
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