Three top chilli choices to try this year…
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For something with a mild flavour, try glossy yellow ‘Trinidad Perfume’ – a smoky citrus-like chilli without the mind-popping burn
(50-500 SHU). This aromatic fruity number is perfect for use in salads. Harvest: July-October.
‘Trinidad Perfume’:
On wet days, get into the shed and service your tools. Oil any blades and moving parts, and create razorlike edges by using a sharpening stone or file.
Now is an ideal time to force early rhubarb. Pot a few crown sections up and move them to a shed or garage, covering to exclude light. Not made your seed order yet? Step to it! The propagation season is just around the corner and prime varieties may be selling out. Check your fruit stores for rodent damage. Set traps and check them daily – sultanas make a particularly alluring bait.
If you are growing grapes in your greenhouse, untie and lower the stems into a horizontal position temporarily to ensure an even bud burst. 2
This compact grower is a reliable mid-level choice if you want to feel the heat. These decorative plants are ideal for pots, and they will produce dozens of yellow then red torpedo-shaped fruits (40,000 SHU). Harvest: July-October.
‘Super Chilli’:
THERE’S something so satisfying about writing out a white plastic label for your new sowing projects. Named and dated, it’s like a pat on the back for your precious seedlings once they are safely tucked up in trays and pots.
Needless to say, keen growers can accumulate quite a few of these over 3
Fancy something truly eye-watering? This chilli is officially the world’s hottest (one fruit reached 2,200,000 SHU). Easy to grow in pots – just be careful when chopping! Makes a lovely jam. Harvest: July-August.
‘Carolina Reaper’:
the course of a year. This time of year is a great chance to clean them up, ready for sowings to start in earnest. The ink from permanent markers is a nuisance to remove, so I prefer to use pencil. Run the used label under a hot tap, then rub it gently with a scourer. There you are, good as new.