How to grow chilies? The ultimate chili guide!

Do you want your kitchen to be fiery hot this year? Then you should grow chili. I'll tell you how to do it and how you can grow chili plants on your balcony!

I was not a friend of spicy food for a long time. And then suddenly it hit me. The fascination with food quickly spread to growing chili.

Shortly thereafter, the first plants were sown and saw the light of day :)

Growing chili is not as hard as you might imagine. It also succeeds wonderfully in the apartment.

So that you too can soon enjoy homemade hot sauces, Dips, stews or DIY Chili Salt Here are the most important tips for growing chili!

Are your fingers already tingling? Then let's get started right away!

Growing chili - these peculiarities has the plant

If you want to grow chilies, then you need to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of the plant. Because chili plants are not native to us. Therefore, they have special requirements for the location.

And not only later, when you can put them outside, but already when planting the seeds. If you want to grow chili, you need a windowsill with lots of light, very warm, constant temperatures and above all one thing: patience!

Especially as a garden beginner, this can often drive you crazy. But be patient, if you follow a few rules, then you can see the first leaves of your plant after 7 to 20 days.

By the way, the seedlings do not like drafts and temperature drops at all. Be sure to pay attention. The chilies are difficult to forgive and immediately cease to grow.

What should I pay attention to if I want to grow chili from seed?

You bought seeds or got them as a gift? I love a colorful mix of different chilies. Some less spicy and the others really hot. So you always have the right pod for the right dish at hand.

If you feel like growing chili, you will quickly notice how many different varieties there are: small, large, round, elongated, orange, black, yellow, red. And also in terms of spiciness, there is everything your heart desires.

The most difficult question is first: Which are the right ones?

If you are a beginner and rarely eat spicy food, then I recommend hot burrito chilies. If you eat spicy food more often and don't shy away from watery eyes, you can also use jalapeños.

What varieties can never be missing with me

• Carolina Reaper - the hottest chili in the world.
• Jalapeños - the classic with lots of flesh. Very spicy.
• Balcony Chilis Hot Burrito - moderately hot and very space-saving. Small decorative pods.
• Biquinho Amarelo - hot. Lampion-shaped yellow chili peppers.
• Tindad Chilis - Extremely hot only suitable if you eat hot regularly. Beautiful growth habit.
• Starfire Purple - Medium hot. Purple pods.

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When is the right time for chili cultivation?

If it occurs to you in April that you want to grow chili, unfortunately, it is already too late. The plants grow slowly.

Therefore, it is best to start between the end of January and the end of February. Some also take New Year's Eve as the starting signal for the chili season.

Until the beginning of March it is also still loose. However, you need a professional greenhouse with heating. Only then can the plants make up for lost time.

Tip: There are high-quality propagators that you can use for many years. I'm using one of these greenhouses for my peppers and chilies for the first time this year. The purchase is particularly worthwhile for plants that take longer to germinate and don't like waterlogging.

What you can do when it is already too late

You missed the time for sowing? Then you can still stock up on seeds and just start next year. The photos you see in this post are from mid-April. So by then, if you start on time, the plants will be just over 5cm tall.

To gain more experience with the plants, it is worth the first year to buy ready-made chili plants. In this way, you can get to know the characteristics step by step.

Because more and more people are discovering their love for the spicy pods, there are already countless online stores that specialize in growing and cultivating chili.

The big advantage is that you can choose from a huge range of rare plants. For next year, you simply take a few seeds and can build up your own chili seed collection step by step.

Beautiful strong plants you can find at Chili-Shop24 here I stocked up last year with a few fancy varieties.

My absolute favorites

• Capezzoli di Scimmia - Heat level 10 - small round chili peppers
• Trindad Scorpion Black - Pungency level 10+++ - wine-red lampion-shaped pods
• Numex Suave - Sheep grade 1-2 - yellow pepper-like pods
• Cherry Bomb Chili - pungency 1-5 - heart-shaped, reminiscent of cherries
• Habanero Big White - Heat level 10+ - white paprika-like chili peppers

What is the perfect location to germinate chili?

Before you start growing chili, you need to be sure you have the right location. The seeds love it warm. Ideally, you have a location with sunshine. The sun's rays warm the soil particularly well and ensure rapid germination.

The best place to grow chili is a window sill. If possible, on the south side, where the plants and seeds get a lot of light and heat.

If you don't have a window that meets these criteria, don't worry. You can germinate the seeds with plant light. These lamps provide the missing heat and light.

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How to grow chili step by step

Set aside all the utensils. You need: the seeds, growing soil, a mini greenhouse. And you're ready to go.

1. prepare the seeds

If you want to speed up the cultivation of chilies, you can use this trick. However, this is not absolutely necessary. It works without it. But it will give you a decisive starting advantage.

Put the dried seeds in a glass with water. The water should be at room temperature. Leave them in it overnight. If you put them during the day - please put the jar in the dark and never in the sun.

The seeds absorb the water and thus begin to germinate much faster. Do not leave them soaked for more than 12 hours, otherwise they may become rotten.

They should have grown noticeably larger after the water bath and no longer look dry.

If you are growing different varieties and later want to know which seed grows into which plant, you should put them in separate jars.

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2. prepare the earth

You have two options. Either you use pregelatinized tablets or growing soil. Both serve their purpose equally well. Normal potting soil is also possible, but not so well suited. It is usually overfertilized and therefore too intense for the seedlings.

Swelling tablets are particularly easy to use. You just need to pour water over them so that they increase to 4 times their original size.

If you decide to use growing soil, you should first disinfect it. This is necessary so that the larvae of the fungus gnat do not survive and harm your seedlings.

To do this, you put the soil in the microwave and heat it. If you want to know how this works best, you can read about it in a separate post.

Don't give fungus gnats a chance!

Whether it's a pregelatinized tablet or a growing medium, make sure they're nice and moist before you get started.

3. grow the chili

Label the pots so you can tell the plants apart.

Put the soil in the pots or in your greenhouse. Put one seed in each pot. In the greenhouse you keep about 2-3 cm distance per seed. This makes it much easier to separate them later.

In addition, this way the seedlings do not take away each other's nutrients, space and light.

Cover the chili seeds with about 1.5 cm of soil. Press the soil very lightly with your finger.

Now it depends on whether you chose pot or greenhouse.

Growing chili in a pot works best if you use plastic wrap. Pull the film over the top of the pot. This creates a microclimate that your plants will love. You can secure the film with a hair tie per pot.

As a result, the earth dries out more slowly and is always nice and warm.

In the greenhouse it is a little easier. Here you just have to put on the lid.

If you want, you can easily make a greenhouse out of an egg carton.

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4. put it on the window sill

Now you just need sun, so that the seedlings have it nice and warm. Place the pots or the greenhouse on a window sill.

Alternatively, it does a greenhouse with integrated plant light, a separate plant light. There are also greenhouses with heating coils. They are mega practical, because the temperature in the house can be kept high even at night.

Very important: let fresh air to the soil every other day. Otherwise it will start to mold. So always take off the foil or the lid for half an hour. The best time to do this is when it is nice and warm.

5. grow chili = have patience

While other plants stick their heads out of the ground after just a few days, it can take a really long time with chili and peppers.

How long it really is depends on

• what kind you use
• how warm the seedlings have it
• how old the seeds are

Don't rush Pepper crops like chilies can take up to 3 weeks before you see anything happening.

The better conditions you create, the faster they will grow.

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How you can shorten the germination period of chili

How quickly the seeds germinate depends mainly on the temperature. Warm, humid 25° Celsius is ideal. The more constant they get this temperature, the faster it goes.

At 30 ° they need about 8 days to germinate. At 10 degrees 3 weeks or longer.

On cold windowsills, you should put a cardboard box or an old towel underneath. Styrofoam is also good for insulation and prevents it from getting cold from below.

It works even faster with Heating mats specially designed for greenhouses are made. They provide constant temperatures. The power consumption is very low. Do not take a normal heating pad, it will be much too warm!

For professionals there are Greenhouses with integrated heating mat. So if you want to go all out, you can buy one. You should always use the heating mat and the heated greenhouse with a timer. If the greenhouse is placed on the window sill and gets enough sun, you only need to activate the heater at night.

If you can see the first leaves, you must be sure that the plants do not get cold feet. So they should stay in the greenhouse.

Why pricking is so important when growing chili

If you have done everything correctly, you should see the first signs of life after about 2 weeks. It usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks after the plants have seen the light of day until pricking out.

In order for the chilies to quickly grow big and strong, they now need a lot of space. So if you haven't planted them in individual pots right from the start, it's now time to separate them.

Choose a pot with a diameter of at least 10 cm, 12 cm is even better. Then you do not have to prick the plants a second time.

How to prick chili correctly

1. Be especially careful. Small plants have fine roots that you must not hurt. They are very sensitive.
2. Fill a larger pot 2/3 with fresh soil.
3. Very carefully release the plants from the pot. Do not pull! Use a chopstick or fork to loosen the soil.
4. Siedle the plant including the old soil to its new home.
5. Fill with soil and water.

The first two days your chili plants now need a little more care. Especially warmth and regular water ensure that they quickly begin to root again.

When can you put chili plants outdoors?

Depending on the weather, you can start carrying the plants outdoors regularly during the day in April. You harden them off with this.

Put them in a warm place and don't forget to bring them back inside in the evening. They do not like temperatures below 10° Celsius. The warmer the better.

Important: Place them only in the morning sun at the beginning. The midday sun is still much too aggressive for very small plants. You will notice this when the leaves change color. They get a sunburn, so to speak.

When temperatures no longer fall below 10 °, even at night, they can settle completely outdoors. Most often, this is around mid-May.

Where does chili grow best?

Whether you have a garden or a balcony for growing chili, it doesn't matter. The main thing is sun and warmth. It should be at least 6 hours of sun. The plant also feels good in the greenhouse and especially on a sunny house wall.

In the garden you should keep a planting distance of about 30 centimeters. In the pot, plant the chilies individually.

The advantage with the pot is that you can save the plant from low temperatures. Often, even in May, it can get very cold.

By the way, good bed neighbors for chilies are tomatoes, eggplants, basil, rosemary and oregano. But also cucumbers, pumpkin and chard benefit from the neighborhood.

Don't plant fennel, kohlrabi, peas, beans and beets nearby.

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Here's what you need to keep in mind when growing chili in a pot

Peppers and chili need a lot of nutrients and a pot that has a capacity of about 15-20 liters. In smaller pots the plants remain compact, in larger ones they can reach a stately size.

The plants do not like waterlogging. To prevent this, sprinkle a little clay granules or pebbles in the pots. About two handfuls are enough. The granules absorb the excess moisture and prevent the roots from rotting and the soil from becoming too wet.

Buy a good vegetable soil and plant the chilies in the pots. One plant per pot is ideal.

The upper edge of the root ball should be covered with soil about 1 cm. This prevents the plants from drying out after repotting.

What you should pay attention to watering and fertilizing

To thrive, chilies need relatively little water. Their roots even start to rot if there is too much moisture. You must therefore avoid waterlogging at all costs.

Water the plants no more than 1x per day on hot days. If the plant is in a pot outdoors, it is better to put it under a roof or cover it during heavy rain.

If you choose vegetable soil when planting, you usually don't need to fertilize. However, if you want to give your chili a little extra help, you can fertilize it with potash or phosphorus fertilizer just before flowering.

The frequent questions and problems around breeding

Help, the soil is moldy - what should I do?

When germinating chilies love it moist (not too wet) and warm. Mold too. Therefore, it may happen that the soil begins to mold. Why? You have not ventilated enough.

Are your chilies already showing? Then you should change the soil. Take the plants very carefully out of the soil.

Prepare new soil. Rinse the pots or greenhouse thoroughly with hot water. Then put the plants back in.

The plants are not yet visible? Then you should also replace the soil. Be especially careful not to accidentally throw the germinating seeds in the trash.

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How long does it take for chili to grow?

From planting to the first ripe pod takes 60 to 90 days, depending on the variety. Some Caribbean varieties even need 120 days. Therefore, you also need to start sowing the seeds as early as February.

What chili plants do not like?

Chili plants do not like shade, they are true sun worshippers. From too much wind they are also not fans, and low temperatures anyway. And, of course, do not forget about the wet "feet". Chili plants do not like waterlogging, because their roots become rotten.

How long does a chili plant live?

Depending on the variety and location, chilies can live up to 15 years. With constant sunshine, high temperatures and optimal conditions, chili plants can survive up to 50 years.

Those who have a winter garden, you can try to overwinter the plant. The ideal place is a bright room, where about 10 ° Celsius. Then the chili plant will bloom and thrive for many years.

How often do you need to water chili?

If you give the plant enough sun, then it is very undemanding. However, it has a high water requirement. Do not forget to water it regularly. It loves rainwater with low lime content. If you water it too seldom, the leaves will droop, and as a result they will turn yellow and brown and eventually fall off.

Can you grow chilies in the apartment?

If you do not have a garden or balcony available, you can grow chili plants in the apartment. There are special varieties that grow just 20-30 cm high and offer a rich harvest.

Is it necessary to remove the king flower?

If you want to grow chili, you've probably come across the term king flower. This is the first flower of the plant. Opinions vary. While some recommend removing the flower, others think it's useless.

I leave the king flower on the plant and have never had a problem with too few chili peppers. If you have two plants, you can remove the flower from one and not the other. Then you see for yourself how the chili plants behave.

Our conclusion

Growing chili is not difficult. But you need the right location. On the one hand, to grow the plants from seed and on the other hand, to get a good harvest later. Both as a seedling and as a mature plant, chilies prefer sun and plenty of heat.

Good luck and here's to a hot summer! :)

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