Anyone growing Chillies this year?
Discussion
Bob the Planner said:
Just harvested the Bhuts and got about 700g. These have been made into Sambal Trasi for use over the next year with lime juice, salt, sugar and dried shrimp. Needs to be dispensed by the molecule !
They look great! How do you make the Sambal Trasi?I've got about 5 Bhuts on my 2 indoor plants at the moment, but they are flowering more now so hopefully I will get a decent crop.
All of a sudden mine have all started fruiting, got apaches bhuts, cayenne, habenero and more, plus i have cross pollinated some to see what will happen, got some mad chillis going on like bright purple habenero's and yellow bhutts etc. hoping to have my own breed with a really good solid flavour but with a good fiery kick too plus look nice and ornamental. things are looking up. just simple cross pollination between the vareitys by hand is working great. the purples are going to be really interesting. they look like mini aubergines at the moment... one moment nothing .. next thing all are fruiting like hell. and just on my kitchen windowsill too. happy days for my first season growing chillis !!!
garreth64 said:
They look great! How do you make the Sambal Trasi?
I've got about 5 Bhuts on my 2 indoor plants at the moment, but they are flowering more now so hopefully I will get a decent crop.
700g Chillies of your choiceI've got about 5 Bhuts on my 2 indoor plants at the moment, but they are flowering more now so hopefully I will get a decent crop.
juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp dried shrimp (or 2 tbsp shrimp paste)
2 tbsp salt
Put in a blender and mix to a smooth paste. Put in a jar and leave for a week to mature and use as a condiment or as a substitute for chilli in a recipe. Should keep for about a year in the fridge.
I have 2 outdoor plants which are now at the end of their second season and they are now about 2 ft high. As you can see from the photo below they have a good crop. I hope they over winter and I should get even more next year.
A couple of peolple have told me that they lack chilli flavour however they are very hot. Not tried a raw one yet.
Nimbus said:
quick update... the chillis seem to have survived the bug invasion 
leaves are still a bit discoloured, but they have grown lots, and there are signs of flowers begining to grow too..
fingers crossed, they are going to survive !
Might be worth pinching out the flowers allowing leaf growth for a further couple of weeks. Can lead to more chillies as the plant can then support more fruit.leaves are still a bit discoloured, but they have grown lots, and there are signs of flowers begining to grow too..
fingers crossed, they are going to survive !
Bob the Planner said:
Might be worth pinching out the flowers allowing leaf growth for a further couple of weeks. Can lead to more chillies as the plant can then support more fruit.
Do you mean nip off the flower buds that are just starting to form ? with scissors ? I've not done this before...Dont I need the flowers to bloom, so it can pollenate, and then get chilles ?
Or will I get more flowers ?
I'm wondering if its a bit late in the year to do this, and maybe I should just see what chillies I get from what I have ?
I'll be satisfied with a couple per plant to be honest, as this is a first attempt...
and looking at how my tomatoes and spuds are doing.. its not going to be a great harvest year !
Nimbus, to be honest I think given the 'summer' we've had in the UK (Bob is in Aus - the lucky bugger) you're better-off cherishing the flowers you have rather than trying to encourage more.
My chillies are barely flowering at all since it's far too cold for them, despite being on a sunny windowsill. Every warm day they perk up dramatically only such days are rare 
My chillies are barely flowering at all since it's far too cold for them, despite being on a sunny windowsill. Every warm day they perk up dramatically
only such days are rare Nimbus said:
Do you mean nip off the flower buds that are just starting to form ? with scissors ? I've not done this before...
Dont I need the flowers to bloom, so it can pollenate, and then get chilles ?
Or will I get more flowers ?
I'm wondering if its a bit late in the year to do this, and maybe I should just see what chillies I get from what I have ?
I'll be satisfied with a couple per plant to be honest, as this is a first attempt...
and looking at how my tomatoes and spuds are doing.. its not going to be a great harvest year !
I usually just pinch them off. I find that if some of the early growing time is put into leaf rather then fruit, you get a stronger plant which in the long run will produce more flowers/chillies as it will be larger.Dont I need the flowers to bloom, so it can pollenate, and then get chilles ?
Or will I get more flowers ?
I'm wondering if its a bit late in the year to do this, and maybe I should just see what chillies I get from what I have ?
I'll be satisfied with a couple per plant to be honest, as this is a first attempt...
and looking at how my tomatoes and spuds are doing.. its not going to be a great harvest year !
If the summer is as bad as made out and you don't want a huge crop then leave them and enjoy the chillies.
My chillies are resting for the winter but there is a little sign of growth on the hedge (5 foot birdseye plants). Looking forward to another kg or so of chilli before xmas !
)
One of my colleagues was given some chilli seeds from a restaurant earlier on this year, bit like after dinner mints but you have to do the hard work yourself 
Not being green fingered I gave them to my mum who nurtured them from seeds to full sized plants and so far we have harvested 1 1/2lbs of what I suspect are Habeneros.
They're not mad hot but I used them to bulk up my chilli sauce made with Scotch Bonnets and Nagas.
Not being green fingered I gave them to my mum who nurtured them from seeds to full sized plants and so far we have harvested 1 1/2lbs of what I suspect are Habeneros.
They're not mad hot but I used them to bulk up my chilli sauce made with Scotch Bonnets and Nagas.
This is my second year with a chilli plant, last year wasn't very successful but this year I think I have got the Chuck Norris of the chilli plant world.
I "think" its a hungarian chilli plant (does that sound right), not overly hot anyway, it is on a South facing window sill and all I've done is water it every three days with a bit of tomato feed, its now about three feet high and chucks fruit out like a production line, it drops flowers occasionally but no yellow leaves, no bugs and no other issues.
Maybe I'm just a natural.
ETA how do I go about drying and flaking them, so far we just use them chopped.
I "think" its a hungarian chilli plant (does that sound right), not overly hot anyway, it is on a South facing window sill and all I've done is water it every three days with a bit of tomato feed, its now about three feet high and chucks fruit out like a production line, it drops flowers occasionally but no yellow leaves, no bugs and no other issues.
Maybe I'm just a natural.
ETA how do I go about drying and flaking them, so far we just use them chopped.
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