Just wondering chaps but has anybody had repeated success with growing chillies

The reason I ask is every year I give it a go, and to be honest, with fairly crap results!. Each year I plant the seeds, have no problem with germination and growth but with little or no chillies . There are so many seed options out there that there must be better fruiting plants than others. This year (as usual) I bought some seeds from a garden centre and the plants grew to about 2 to 3 foot tall and started flowering. Now the sad bit, 3 of the 4 plants died as I had to put them outside whilst I went away on hols and the British weather sent them to their maker, however, the one I left inside stayed in good nick but only produced 3 chillies. Now I've read the articles about pollination but before the flowers even open, the buggars are ready for dropping off.

My question to any successful growers is are there any relatively small plants that produce good results? The wife's sick off the kitchen window being blocked of sunlight for a crap harvest

Now I appreciate all replies but can overseas curryheads with a successful crop bear in mind that up t' north with a summer that pisses down everyday, outside planting is probably not an option

Ideas please?

W 

Try growing from seedlings instead of seeds. You're wasting precious time growing from seeds in a very narrow window of time i.e. a typical english summer, especially up north. Either that or get a greenhouse. Doesnt have to be a big flashy glass one, you can get cheaper and smaller plastic ones. As you know they need full sun and lots of it which they wont get inside. It may be pretty rare to be sunny, but at least in a green house they will be warm enough to produce some fruit. If you have room outside you could even build yourself a small polytunnel. Just a few bits of PVC tubing bent over into a semi-circle and secured down with a clear plastic tarp over the top does well. Go a google for DIY polytunnel. I built one, one year using old tent poles from an old dome tent I had. It was like a bloody sauna! lol Down here in the cooler parts of Australia im pushing it to get a crop going from seed to fruit before it starts to get cold again.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Whandsy,

Have a look at this post of mine from 8 July this year (although, you've probably already seen it).

These chillies were grown from seed 3 years ago and the plants are still very healthy and produce a good crop each year. They sit on an east-facing window, so they only get full light in the morning, but they still do well.

This season's crop was a little poor given the wet, cold and overcast summers we've had over 2 consecutive years, but I harvested the fruits in the middle of August before I went on holiday and I'm happy to say that I'll be harvesting more fruits in a month or so.

Here's some of the same plants 2 months on from the July photos and judiciously pruned since my return from holiday.







Up here in not-so-sunny Scotland, I sow my chilli seeds (and tomato seeds!) towards the end of January each year to give them an extended chance to grow sufficiently to produce fruit by the end of the summer. I re-pot them twice in the growing season - once after the seedlings produce true leaves and once after the plants show early signs of flower production.

When fruiting is finished for the season, I cut the plant back to the bare stem and only water occasionally. When the plant begins to show new growth as the weather heats up, I re-pot again.

None of this is to say that you shouldn't buy seedlings, of course, but growing from seed is easy enough, providing you give them an early start. And, if you really need to keep the plants small, you can always prune the stems to prevent legginess and encourage bushing.

Cheers Guys

Glad to see success for the scottish weather system, mabe the secrets in the re-potting as I have no problem getting them to grow, just the bloody fruiting .

I have seen chilli plants grow to different sizes so maybe I'll google the different varieties as 3 foot non fruiting plants aren't the way forward for me

Thanks again

W

Hi there,

It might also be related to when you first planted the seeds. Ideally the seeds need to be planted between January and March (depending on the variety).

Jalapenos might be worth trying as the plants are more bushy than tall. I'd recommend buying the seeds from a specialist chilli seed supplier.

Otherwise, try to ensure you're not over or under watering the plants, and try a chilli plant feed. Extremes of temperature van also lead to flower drop.

Hope this is of some help