Growing chillies – a simple guide
Chillies are from the same family as tomatoes and green peppers. So, the climatic requirements are similar. They are part of the scientific group called Capsicum frutescens L. The common pepper or green pepper is from the family Capsicum Annuum L.
So, you can see they are very closely related. One of the main advantages of hot chillies is that they can be dried and stored for long periods. So small scale farmers are not dependent on selling perishable fruit immediately. With the right varieties, there are diverse markets to enter and all are quite profitable.
In order to sell the dried chilli fruit, they must be harvested when the climate is dry. So once the fruit is mature, they need to dry out on the plant before harvesting. You cannot harvest the pods or fruit while they are ready to eat like normal peppers.
It is a subtle difference but a very important one as it limits production to certain areas. In summer rainfall areas, the chillies must be harvested very early winter or late autumn when the rainy season is over.
Basic production of hot chillies
The water requirement pattern for chillies is very similar to that of tomatoes. Commercial crops must have water during the whole growing season. If the plants are stressed out due to insufficient water, yields will be reduced. It is important to keep the soil moist (not water logged or very wet) during the whole growing season.
To keep soil moisture to the correct level for optimum chilli production, the following guideline can be used if you have nobody to consult to: Week one to two: 1015 mm water 2-3 times a week. Make sure the soil does not get dry. If it does get dry irrigate more often. If it gets waterlogged, reduce the amount applied each time.
Week three to five, irrigate 1-2 times a week.
Week six to eight, apply about 35-40 mm water weekly.
Week eight, apply about 25-35 mm water weekly.
It is possible to farm chillies without irrigation but expect much lower yields. Fertilisation
The best fertiliser recommendations are done with a soil analysis but not a lot of people have them done. It is crucial for the small-scale farmer to add compost or kraal manure into the soil.
You can never add too little compost or organic matter to the soil. It will be converted to usable nitrogen by bacteria. Just remember not to apply too much compost 14 days before planting as in week three to four there will be a nitrogen deficiency in the soil. The bacteria need time to convert the organic material into plant nitrogen.