Growing Chillis

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#2197353 13-Mar-2019 15:38

timmmay: Think you should just buy them.

Some markets sell jalapenos for $1 each. There's pick your own down near Wellington, maybe there is up there too, much cheaper around $10/kg that way than Moore Wilson's $50/kg.

I could sell some jalapeno but they'd need to be couriered. Packing in a decent box to protect them and delivery might cost $20 so is unlikely to be worthwhile.

The Otara markets had hot chillis at $45 per kilo a few weeks back. That's one reason I'm growing my own. I didn't pay anywhere near that last time I purchased them.

Not sure how much jalapenos cost, but they aren't plentiful in Auckland, and I'm looking to grow those as well as their flesh to heat ratio is good.

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#2197391 13-Mar-2019 16:12

I've had great results from Bunnings, been in twice and some arse had swapped the labels from Capsicum to chili.......savage but well played who ever you are.....well played

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#2197412 13-Mar-2019 16:47

I grow quite a few varieties in Auckland, just in pots.

Generally I grow and what I use them for

Jalapenos - Low heat, probably used the most in a variety of dishes
Habaneros - Hot, Mostly used as a base for sauces
Scotch bonnet - Hot, Love Caribbean food, especially Jerk chicken
Bhut Jolokia - Probably more of a gimmic, most are given away though I do make a few really hot sauces and relishes with them, a little goes a long way
Carolina Reaper - Same as the Bhuts

A couple of places to buy the seeds. You can buy them on trade me, though chances are you'll get a hybrid seed(chilis cross breed really easy)

https://culleys.co.nz/product-category/chilli-seeds-for-sale/

https://www.firedragonchillies.co.nz/product-category/chilli-seeds/

I normally germinate my chillis in the hot water cupboard around August and grow inside until mid October. I start fresh every year as wintering plants can be tough, though Jalapenos tend to live through winter.

allio

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#2197413 13-Mar-2019 16:48

I grow chilis every year in Auckland - they're my favourite vegetable to grow as I'm limited to pots and have a small growing space, the selection and prices in shops is abysmal, and they're very reliable performers.

Every year I grow jalapenos (for pickling) and serranos (my favourite "hot red long chili" - I freeze a couple of bags each summer and use them throughout the year for cooking). I've grown habaneros in the past and enjoyed them but generally don't really care for the chilies that are so hot you can't eat them.

This year I also grew:

Hot cherry pepper (from seed). Tried this as I love peppadews. They are quite different - turns out the peppadew preparation and pickling process is what gives them most of their taste - but were fun to grow and delicious in their own right. I grew this from seed last year and it was a pain, only really getting going towards the end of the summer so I "overwintered" the plant, along with a jalapeno and serrano. It came through the winter the best of any of them and produced a nice crop this year. I won't bother overwintering jalapeno or serrano again, but might try to get a third year out of this plant.
Anaheim (seedling from King's). Fun to grow and the huge chilis are really eye catching - every visitor to my house comments on them. I struggled to really know what to do with them though. I roasted six or seven to make a batch of green chicken chili, which was nice. I lost four or five others when the plant got blown over. The rest of them rapidly ripened and then dried out before I could figure what to do with them. Not sure I'll grow them again - if so I'll make better plans for cooking with them.
Hungarian hot wax (seedling from King's). This is the year's success story. One plant in a small pot produced two massive crops. They are milder than I expected, quite a lot milder than a jalapeno, but I'm quite happy with that as my last few jalapeno plants have produced chilies so hot they're uncomfortable to eat. I currently have 6x500ml jars in the fridge (90% Hungarians, 10% jalapenos) with probably another dozen chilies still on the plant.

If you find poblano seedlings in Auckland - please let me know where!

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#2197415 13-Mar-2019 16:51

@allio For the Anahiems, when did you plant them and how long till they were ready to eat?

allio

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#2197416 13-Mar-2019 16:53

networkn:

@allio For the Anahiems, when did you plant them and how long till they were ready to eat?

I planted everything in early October. The Anaheim was the quickest to get going and fruited pretty early too. Can't remember exactly when but I think I had chilies around Christmas.

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#2197417 13-Mar-2019 16:55

Shame I can't get those Chillis now, I have a bunch of dishes I wanted to try. Oh well. Can't beat physics.

I think if I plant, I'll be doing in medium sized pots.

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#2197421 13-Mar-2019 17:00

networkn:

Shame I can't get those Chillis now, I have a bunch of dishes I wanted to try. Oh well. Can't beat physics.

I think if I plant, I'll be doing in medium sized pots.

Mine have always done really well in medium pots - I think mine are 10L. The monster Hungarian is in a 10L pot. I transferred my healthiest overwintered plant into a bigger 15L pot at the start of summer, and that was the only one to die on me.

I worked out a bit too late that Anaheims are often called 'Hatch' chilies in the US. Searching for that gives you a bit more to work with recipe-wise.

FYI they were essentially heatless for me.

timmmay

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#2197422 13-Mar-2019 17:00

I found Anaheim boring, tasted like capsicum, only grew them one year. With most chilli if you sow early spring you have fruit early to mid summer from memory.

My growing containers are 100L, top half soil, bottom half water.

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#2197423 13-Mar-2019 17:00

What sort of chilis are you after?

I've got some lovely ones, are great for party tricks.. Nobody expects the chilli with the black seeds to burn nearly as harsh!
Thing grows like a weed. Does not like glasshouses and fruits faster than anyone would consume.

Potentionally could supply a clipping, expect it to take over your whole garden though.

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Kiwifruta

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#2197530 13-Mar-2019 19:53

networkn:
The issue I have is very limited space to grow, even more limited options where I can provide good sun.

I want to do this on a TINY scale growing around 2-3 varieties and with as little work/maintenance required as possible.

Given the scale I want, paying someone else to grow them seems best, but that's more complicated :)

Mate, they are dead easy to grow, fairly much care free.

Buy pots with good drainage holes, the Warehouse sells some square shaped black ones for about $6 each.
Use quality weed free potting mix from a gardening shop.
Seeds from Kings seeds or plants from a nursery.
Water the pot, wait 40 mins, plant your plants.
Stake the plants.
Put the pot in your property’s sunniest spot.
Water them 2 or 3 times a week.
Wait 2-3 months.

Everything else mentioned is about optimising the crop.
Best time to plant is spring.
I have habanero and ancho chillies growing outside our front window in pots.

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#2197535 13-Mar-2019 20:14

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4r3841yu8vq6xn4/AAD1qalcddGpSy2jXpEBPPYMa?dl=0

There's some shots of mine that i took a few months ago.

Was in between fruiting, when fruiting it's pulling itself to the ground.

to be totally honest, at one stage we tried to kill it off, it still stayed strong. we ended up removing a ton of it's shoots in the glasshouse so it wasnt pure chili.

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#2197541 13-Mar-2019 20:33

hio77:

What sort of chilis are you after?

Poblano, Jalapeno and Anahiem.

I am mostly after flavour rather than heat. No shortage of ways to get heat.

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#2197546 13-Mar-2019 20:43

networkn:
hio77:

What sort of chilis are you after?

Poblano, Jalapeno and Anahiem.

I am mostly after flavour rather than heat. No shortage of ways to get heat.

Yeah, I'd avoid mine then... They are definitely an acquired taste.

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#2197607 13-Mar-2019 23:13

Woot, I have found a place in Napier that has the Chilli's I want as fruit. They are expensive at $27 per KG and $8 shipping, but I may just buy more than I need and freeze them, or if anyone wants anything specifically and wants to split shipping blah blah, I am ok with that too.

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