What's in my (lockdown) Greenhouse?
What's in my (lockdown) Greenhouse?
It’s fair to say that this has not been a normal year and my personal life has had to take somewhat of a back seat. A combination of social distancing, staff shortages, supply chain breakdowns and postal log jams has made work-life somewhat challenging to say the least!
I’ve been pretty much working seven days a week since before lockdown started trying to keep up. Like everyone else, I’ve been isolating at home when not in work, sadly without my family, which I’m finding increasingly difficult. All in all, 2020 is beginning to feel like a long, grim and very weird dream.
I'm short on space in my small greenhouse at home, so I have selected fourteen varieties to grow this year.
My preferred potting mix is half peat-free compost and half coir, with a few handfuls of vermiculite thrown in for good measure.
Just fill the pots to a third full, pop in the plant, then carefully fill to the brim and press down so that there is 1cm or so at the top of the pot.
However, I have finally made some time to sort out my own chilli plants and, lucky for me, I have a ready supply of chilli plants to choose from. I know I will feel more grounded once my own greenhouse starts to fill. It’s by no means too late to grow on annum varieties from plug size, but you’ll definitely need plant-size Chinese chillies now.
The earlier you get your plants in, the bigger they are going to get, the more pods they are going to produce and the more time they will have to ripen before the end of the season. There is nothing more disappointing than spending all season tending chilli plants to end up with unripened pods. Well, almost nothing more disappointing.
I only have space for a small greenhouse at home and am always careful to give my plants the space they need, so I am have selected fourteen varieties with a range of heats, flavours and uses.
My delayed start has given me extra time to muse on which varieties make the pick and I have finally settled on a selection old favourites and newbies. I’ve chosen chillies with a range of heats and uses, tailored to my favourite dishes, as well as a few new varieties that I am really excited to try.
I am potting the plants into one 1ltr pots, big enough for the next stage of growth, but small enough that they can still be moved around. My preferred potting mix is half peat-free compost and half coir, with a few handfuls of vermiculite thrown in for good measure.
This really helps to prevent plants getting ‘wet feet’ which is the most common cause of all problems with chillies, whilst still providing them with the nutrients they need. If you are having difficulties getting hold of these things, just make sure you have a very free draining compost, even mixing in a few handfuls of sharp sand as a last resort.
Although it’s been an unseasonably sunny few weeks, it’s still quite chilly at night so I am not leaving them in my unheated greenhouse overnight. They will get to spend their days there, as the light levels are far greater than any space indoors, but I’ll them on an east-facing sunny windowsill at night to take advantage of the morning sun.
Potting on is a quick enough process, just fill the pots to a third full, pop in the plant, then carefully fill to the brim and press down so that there is a centimetre or so at the top of the pot. That way you can water properly without making a mess. There’s no need to remove the meshing around the plug as roots just grow straight through. Give them a good water, being careful not to splash the leaves. Bobs your uncle … with a little care, they should now start to shoot up.
What I'm Planning to Grow in my Greenhouse in 2020….
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Aji Charapita
aji charapita
I fell head over heels in love with this variety last year. The compact plants are so pretty, producing a crown of little amber jewels.
I’m mainly growing these for ‘Easy Peasy Pasta’; spaghetti dressed very simply with cherry tomatoes and garlic fried in olive oil, basil and a handful of these thrown in whole. I love the little explosions of fruity heat in your mouth. -
aji lemon
I have mixed feelings about because they are such a nightmare when they are small.
They seem to explode from the seed and grow like crazy which is great in your greenhouse at home, less great when you are trying to control tray fulls of them. But the pods are lovely, fruity, juicy and so pretty and there’s just so many…. -
armageddon
Armageddon is another dangerous addition to my greenhouse.
I’m not sure if I am actually going to be able to eat any but I feel drawn to this new superhot, bred in the UK and said to rival the Carolina Reaper. I’m really excited to see how it goes, so far the small plants we have are growing beautifully. -
biqhuino
Biquinho couldn’t be more different, producing a large number of little beak-shaped pods that are mild, juicy and flavoursome.
This is another first for me and I’m looking forward to adding these little jewels to summer salads.
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Brazilian Starfish
brazilian starfish
Brazilian Starfish has to have the best name of any chilli and it’s as weird as it sounds. It does indeed produce little star-shaped pods and plenty of them as well.
I’ve only grown this once before but I’m always a little bit pleased to visit the tray when someone orders one so it has called out to me this year. -
cayenne
Cayenne may not sound too exciting but the variety we grow is really easy to grow, fast to fruit and keeps on pumping out those pods from the earliest opportunity right through a mild autumn.
With a Cayenne in the greenhouse, I know that come what may, I’ll have enough chillies to see me through. They are amongst the hottest of the Cayenne varieties and I grow one every year.cayenne
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chang rai
Chang Rai is another Thai variety which I fell in love with last season. It’s actually a mild-medium chilli which is not something I would normally go for, but it produced hundreds of pods with a really good crunch and a sharp peppery flavour.
They were lovely chopped up raw as a garnish for Thai, Indian or Mexican food. I have two kids that won’t tolerate much heat in their food so this is a really easy way to get a chilli hit without making two versions of the same meal.chang rai
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Dalle Khursani
dalle khursani
Dalle Khursani is another new one for me but a very popular variety in native Nepal.
Again, these plants have grown so beautifully in their early stages that I’m really excited to see how they go in their mature phase. I am fully expecting to be singing their praises by the end of the Summer. -
orange habanero
Orange Habanero; my all time favourite chilli. They are such lovely plants to watch grow, right from the off and always a good producer. Deep green, glossy leaves and shiny rounded pods. The heat is just right for me and the flavour is exquisitely fruity.
I make a batch of Habanero Jelly each autumn which makes for great little Christmas presents, and the rest go in the freezer for my Veggie Chilli con Carne. The fruity taste of Habs adds something very special. -
orange tyger
Orange Tyger; this is a new one for me, a semi-ornamental Thai variety that produces orange finger-type chillies.
We have grown some plugs and plants at World of Chillies and they seem to be fast, strong and very attractive so I’m quite excited to see where they go from here. Should be good for stir fries and Thai food. -
paper lantern
Paper Lantern is a sort of Habanero on steroids. It’s the one of the easiest Classic Hots to grow as well as the prettiest with its Chinese Paper Lantern shaped pods that drip from branches in late summer.
It’s an old favourite of mine that I haven’t grown for a couple of years and I sort of missed it last year. -
pimiento de padron
Pimento de Padron is a unique variety that really stands out. The Spanish Tapas, Russian Roulette chilli where only one in 5-10 pods is hot.
It’s really easy to grow and one of the few chillies that you can make a whole dish from. It’s a great, celebratory start to the chilli harvest that I look forward to every year. -
bhut jolokia, red
Red Bhut Jolokia is one of the big boys when it comes to heat. In truth, the Recordbreakers are too hot for my tastes I end up just putting a half pod in, which means missing out on some of the flavour.
On the flip side, I love the feeling of danger and mystery a superheat adds to my greenhouse. Bhuts are known for their strong, citrusy flavour.
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Rocotos
rocoto roja
Rocotos have a mysterious air to them, so unlike all the other chillies with their hairy leaves and big round pods.
They grow into large, sprawling plants and keep going long past other varieties have given up the ghost. I really like them.
Finally getting my plants potted up and into the greenhouse has definitely lifted my spirits. Now I can watch them growing up, oblivious to the worrying circumstances of the world outside, hoping that by the time they start to flower and fruit, we will be over the worst of the pandemic. I very much look forward to being able to share the fruits of my labour with my family and friends, and hopefully you later in the year.
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