CROPS IN POTS

CHILLIES

Chillies are perfect edibles for containers. Many varieties are compact and incredibly productive – just one plant can give you hundreds of chillies. They are forgiving when you forget to water them and look fabulous when covered in colourful fruit.

Even if you have space to grow chillies in the ground, container growing is a good option in cool areas because you can move them into a sunroom or glasshouse for protection in the cold. Keep them warm over winter and you should get 2–3 years out of your potted chilli. If you don’t, save some of the seed from a fully ripened fruit and sow them the following spring.

For quick and maximum returns this season, plant established seedlings or potted plants now. Chillies like to be potted on gradually, so don’t plant straight into a large container; start in a smallish pot then, when the roots fill it out, pot it up into the next size, and so on. Always use a good quality potting mix with fertilisers added.

Chillies need lots of sun to flower and fruit so place your container in a spot that gets at least 5–6 hours of sunlight a day. Avoid windy spots, which will dry plants out and reduce fruit set. It’s important to get the watering right, too. They don’t like being constantly wet, so let them dry out a bit between waterings. An easy way to tell is to pick up the pot. If it feels light, that means the plant is due for a water. When you do water, give it a really good drink. If it’s very dry, soak the pot in a big bucket of water for 10 minutes or so to properly rehydrate the mix.

Give your potted chilli an application of a liquid fertiliser for tomatoes, mixed at half strength, every 7–10 days, or more often in summer when you are watering more.