Chilli Plant Update - 8th September 2021
I'm very surprised by how well the chilli plants have done this year, given how most of mine are grown indoors in smallish pots in windows. The light levels have been less than ideal because of the poor weather we've had this summer in the UK. Or perhaps light levels have been acceptable and it's just that I've become accustomed to having chilli curtains around the house which block out a substantial amount of light coming through the windows. I guess it's one of the perils of being a windowsill farmer. 😛
The climate is definitely changing though, there's no doubt about it. I'm not one of those people who believe that humans are solely responsible for climate change, although I do accept that we contribute to it in many ways. My belief is that these changes take place on a cyclical basis at certain points during each Great Year as the Earth moves into new astrological ages. I believe that it's happened many times in the past and will happen again in the future. All the earth changes we see taking place, such as flooding, volcanic activity and earthquakes, are part of the phenomenon but are obviously not caused by humans. I also believe that the controlling factions, AKA the religious hierarchy, know all about this phenomenon but choose to keep it a secret.
Aji Arnaucho is a stunning looking variety when the chillies start ripening, and if you're one of those people who like the flavour of Capsicum chinense chillies but find Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets to be too hot, then this is definitely a variety for you. The chillies have a great flavour and are of medium heat.
I've had lots of ripe chillies from the outdoor Aji Largo plants, and there are many more still yet to ripen. I have to keep a close eye on the chillies and pick them at just the right time because if left of the plants for too long the bugs start chewing holes in them. I've been using some here and there in cooking, but most have been going in the freezer. The plants will most likely be moved into the glasshouse late next month once the night time temperatures have dropped significantly.
In the past few weeks I've picked a good amount of ripe Aji Lemon chillies. I harvested the ones from the indoor plant on the 14th August and now it's in the process of setting more fruit, some of which are already a decent size.
Most of the chillies from the Aji Mochero plant have already been picked and are now in the freezer. I'm always surprised by how well this variety does on the kitchen windowsill, given that it doesn't receive much direct sunlight. If I grow it again next year I might try putting it in a better spot.
It would seem that the seeds I purchased at the start of the growing season for Caribbean Red Habanero were Antillais Caribbean seeds. I tried a ripe pod for the first time a couple of nights ago and thought it was pretty good. I've set one pod aside for de-seeding and will grow this variety again at some point.
Apache isn't a variety I'd go out of my way to buy seeds for. I picked a plant up on a whim from a local garden centre in early June and re-potted it into a 3-litre pot. It's done really well for a small plant, and I've been picking chillies from it for about two months, most of which were used up in curries. If I see Apache plants for sale again next year I might pick another one up.
The Bell Peppers I was growing eventually ripened to red, as I'm sure you can no doubt see in the photos below. As mentioned in the previous post, I didn't know what the ripe colour of these was going to be. It just stated on the seed packet that they could ripen to either red or yellow. The plants did really well considering they were only grown in 5-litre pots on a windowsill.
Chocolate Habanero chillies can take quite a while to ripen fully. Due to their dark colour it can sometimes be difficult to tell if they're fully ripe or not. I used to pick them thinking they were fully ripe and often times they still had greenish hues in places. What I now do is leave them on the plant for an additional week after they appear to have ripened, just to be sure.
Cumari do Pará is one of five new varieties I'm growing this year. The chillies have a great flavour and a good amount of heat, but they don't give me anything that I'm not already getting from Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero. Both varieties have the same pungent Capsicum chinense aroma and flavour, except Yellow Jelly Bean Habaneros are larger and hotter. I've been leaving the ripe chillies on the side to dry and will eventually make a powder from them at the end of the season.
Demon Red is a very prolific variety, but picking the ripe chillies is a very fiddly process. I'm growing three plants this year, two of which are in 3-litre pots and the other is in a 5-litre pot. The plant growing in the 5-litre pot (shown in this next photo) has remained the same size as its two counterparts for most of the season, but recently it had a bit of a growth spurt and started producing lots of flowers and more fruit. I've been drying the chillies from these plants and will be a making powder from them at the end of the season.
All of the Dorset Naga chillies have now been picked and frozen. I have two pods on the spice rack waiting to be de-seeded, along with pods of several other varieties, and when I'm done I'll use the remaining flesh in whatever spicy concoction I'm preparing on the day. The plant has recently started flowering again and has set a new fruit, as can be seen in the last photo below. Hopefully, it will produce a few more chillies before the end of the season. I'm very impressed with how well this plant has done, considering it's only growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window.
El Oro de Ecuador is one of the tastiest Capsicum baccatum varieties I've ever tried, and I'm not the only one who things so. The earwigs have also taken a liking to them. I had the same bug issue last year with Fidalgo Roxa. What I noticed with the Fidalgo Roxa chillies was that they were quite sweet, and the same can be said this year of the El Oro de Ecuador chillies. I'm guessing these two varieties have slightly higher sugar content than average, and this is what makes them so attractive to insects — and humans.
The Fatalii plant has been a slower grower all season, although it did produce a few good-sized chillies early on, all of which have long since been eaten. However, about two weeks ago it decided to liven up and has now set an acceptable amount of new fruits. I think the way some of the chilli plants have behaved this season is either proof of what a shit grower I am, or testament to how weird the weather has been this summer in the UK. I've marked out a pod for seed saving and will be growing this variety again next year, providing we haven't all been destroyed in a cataclysmic event by then. In case of an emergency and possible salvation from a human-looking extraterrestrial civilisation, please be sure to keep your seed box at hand.
The Inca Berry and Inca Red Drop plants are chugging along and producing very nicely as usual.
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion chillies are now starting to ripen, and I removed the lower growth from the plant recently to encourage it to put more energy into the top.
The Orange Habanero plant went into flower mode again recently, and yesterday evening I had a quick count and noticed it had set 40 new fruits. That means the plant has produced about 80 chillies in total, which I think is very good going for a small plant growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window. Let's hope there's still enough time left for them to ripen.
The over-wintered Peruvian White Habanero plant produced an acceptable amount of chillies early on, some of which were used in cooking and the rest were put aside to dry. After picking the first lot of fruits the plant then decided to drop most of its leaves, just like it did late last year as the temperatures started dropping. However, it has now started putting out new growth and has recently started flowering and setting fruit again.
I've picked most of the chillies from the Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero plant growing indoors, but its counterpart living in the glasshouse (shown on the right in this next photo) is several weeks behind. Let's hope we get an extended summer so some of the chillies have chance to ripen.
The four Capsicum baccatum varieties (Aji Lemon, Inca Berry, Inca Red Drop and El Oro de Ecuador) growing in the walk-in plastic greenhouse were moved into the glasshouse a few weeks ago because most of the tomato plants have now gone. This is better for them because they receive more light. There are currently six chilli plants in total now living in the glasshouse.
Here are some photos showing four recent chilli harvests. It's just a shame that all the pods don't ripen up at the same time.
A door opened up on the right and a blond haired male was stood there dressed in black. He had a stripe running across his chest which showed all the colours of the rainbow. He said, "Come on, quickly. Hurry up!" Once inside we stood looking through the window and I could see a queen. The last time I saw her she looked golden, but this time she looked angry.
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| Chilli Plants in the Porch - 3rd September 2021 |
The climate is definitely changing though, there's no doubt about it. I'm not one of those people who believe that humans are solely responsible for climate change, although I do accept that we contribute to it in many ways. My belief is that these changes take place on a cyclical basis at certain points during each Great Year as the Earth moves into new astrological ages. I believe that it's happened many times in the past and will happen again in the future. All the earth changes we see taking place, such as flooding, volcanic activity and earthquakes, are part of the phenomenon but are obviously not caused by humans. I also believe that the controlling factions, AKA the religious hierarchy, know all about this phenomenon but choose to keep it a secret.
Aji Arnaucho is a stunning looking variety when the chillies start ripening, and if you're one of those people who like the flavour of Capsicum chinense chillies but find Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets to be too hot, then this is definitely a variety for you. The chillies have a great flavour and are of medium heat.
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| Aji Arnaucho - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Arnaucho - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Arnaucho - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Arnaucho - 2nd September 2021 |
I've had lots of ripe chillies from the outdoor Aji Largo plants, and there are many more still yet to ripen. I have to keep a close eye on the chillies and pick them at just the right time because if left of the plants for too long the bugs start chewing holes in them. I've been using some here and there in cooking, but most have been going in the freezer. The plants will most likely be moved into the glasshouse late next month once the night time temperatures have dropped significantly.
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 3rd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 3rd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 3rd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Largo - 14th August 2021 |
In the past few weeks I've picked a good amount of ripe Aji Lemon chillies. I harvested the ones from the indoor plant on the 14th August and now it's in the process of setting more fruit, some of which are already a decent size.
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| Aji Lemon - 14th August 2021 |
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| Aji Lemon - 14th August 2021 |
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| Aji Lemon - 14th August 2021 |
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| Aji Lemon - 14th August 2021 |
Most of the chillies from the Aji Mochero plant have already been picked and are now in the freezer. I'm always surprised by how well this variety does on the kitchen windowsill, given that it doesn't receive much direct sunlight. If I grow it again next year I might try putting it in a better spot.
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| Aji Mochero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Mochero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Aji Mochero - 14th August 2021 |
It would seem that the seeds I purchased at the start of the growing season for Caribbean Red Habanero were Antillais Caribbean seeds. I tried a ripe pod for the first time a couple of nights ago and thought it was pretty good. I've set one pod aside for de-seeding and will grow this variety again at some point.
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| Antillais Caribbean - 19th August 2021 |
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| Antillais Caribbean - 31st July 2021 |
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| Antillais Caribbean - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Antillais Caribbean - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Antillais Caribbean - 2nd September 2021 |
Apache isn't a variety I'd go out of my way to buy seeds for. I picked a plant up on a whim from a local garden centre in early June and re-potted it into a 3-litre pot. It's done really well for a small plant, and I've been picking chillies from it for about two months, most of which were used up in curries. If I see Apache plants for sale again next year I might pick another one up.
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| Apache - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Apache - 19th August 2021 |
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| Apache - 14th August 2021 |
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| Apache - 19th August 2021 |
The Bell Peppers I was growing eventually ripened to red, as I'm sure you can no doubt see in the photos below. As mentioned in the previous post, I didn't know what the ripe colour of these was going to be. It just stated on the seed packet that they could ripen to either red or yellow. The plants did really well considering they were only grown in 5-litre pots on a windowsill.
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| Bell Pepper - 11th August 2021 |
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| Bell Pepper - 19th August 2021 |
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| Bell Pepper - 19th August 2021 |
Chocolate Habanero chillies can take quite a while to ripen fully. Due to their dark colour it can sometimes be difficult to tell if they're fully ripe or not. I used to pick them thinking they were fully ripe and often times they still had greenish hues in places. What I now do is leave them on the plant for an additional week after they appear to have ripened, just to be sure.
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| Chocolate Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 14th August 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 14th August 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 14th August 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Chocolate Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
Cumari do Pará is one of five new varieties I'm growing this year. The chillies have a great flavour and a good amount of heat, but they don't give me anything that I'm not already getting from Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero. Both varieties have the same pungent Capsicum chinense aroma and flavour, except Yellow Jelly Bean Habaneros are larger and hotter. I've been leaving the ripe chillies on the side to dry and will eventually make a powder from them at the end of the season.
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| Cumari do Pará - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Cumari do Pará - 14th August 2021 |
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| Cumari do Pará - 31st July 2021 |
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| Cumari do Pará - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Cumari do Pará - 2nd September 2021 |
Demon Red is a very prolific variety, but picking the ripe chillies is a very fiddly process. I'm growing three plants this year, two of which are in 3-litre pots and the other is in a 5-litre pot. The plant growing in the 5-litre pot (shown in this next photo) has remained the same size as its two counterparts for most of the season, but recently it had a bit of a growth spurt and started producing lots of flowers and more fruit. I've been drying the chillies from these plants and will be a making powder from them at the end of the season.
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| Demon Red - 2nd September 2021 |
All of the Dorset Naga chillies have now been picked and frozen. I have two pods on the spice rack waiting to be de-seeded, along with pods of several other varieties, and when I'm done I'll use the remaining flesh in whatever spicy concoction I'm preparing on the day. The plant has recently started flowering again and has set a new fruit, as can be seen in the last photo below. Hopefully, it will produce a few more chillies before the end of the season. I'm very impressed with how well this plant has done, considering it's only growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window.
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| Dorset Naga - 14th August 2021 |
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| Dorset Naga - 14th August 2021 |
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| Dorset Naga - 14th August 2021 |
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| Dorset Naga - 14th August 2021 |
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| Dorset Naga - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Dorset Naga - 2nd September 2021 |
El Oro de Ecuador is one of the tastiest Capsicum baccatum varieties I've ever tried, and I'm not the only one who things so. The earwigs have also taken a liking to them. I had the same bug issue last year with Fidalgo Roxa. What I noticed with the Fidalgo Roxa chillies was that they were quite sweet, and the same can be said this year of the El Oro de Ecuador chillies. I'm guessing these two varieties have slightly higher sugar content than average, and this is what makes them so attractive to insects — and humans.
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| El Oro de Ecuador - 31st July 2021 |
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| El Oro de Ecuador - 2nd September 2021 |
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| El Oro de Ecuador - 14th August 2021 |
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| El Oro de Ecuador - 14th August 2021 |
The Fatalii plant has been a slower grower all season, although it did produce a few good-sized chillies early on, all of which have long since been eaten. However, about two weeks ago it decided to liven up and has now set an acceptable amount of new fruits. I think the way some of the chilli plants have behaved this season is either proof of what a shit grower I am, or testament to how weird the weather has been this summer in the UK. I've marked out a pod for seed saving and will be growing this variety again next year, providing we haven't all been destroyed in a cataclysmic event by then. In case of an emergency and possible salvation from a human-looking extraterrestrial civilisation, please be sure to keep your seed box at hand.
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Fatalii - 2nd September 2021 |
The Inca Berry and Inca Red Drop plants are chugging along and producing very nicely as usual.
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| Inca Berry - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Inca Berry - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Inca Berry - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Inca Red Drop - 2nd September 2021 |
The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion chillies are now starting to ripen, and I removed the lower growth from the plant recently to encourage it to put more energy into the top.
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 2nd September 2021 |
The Orange Habanero plant went into flower mode again recently, and yesterday evening I had a quick count and noticed it had set 40 new fruits. That means the plant has produced about 80 chillies in total, which I think is very good going for a small plant growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window. Let's hope there's still enough time left for them to ripen.
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| Orange Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Orange Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Orange Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Orange Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Orange Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
The over-wintered Peruvian White Habanero plant produced an acceptable amount of chillies early on, some of which were used in cooking and the rest were put aside to dry. After picking the first lot of fruits the plant then decided to drop most of its leaves, just like it did late last year as the temperatures started dropping. However, it has now started putting out new growth and has recently started flowering and setting fruit again.
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Peruvian White Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
I've picked most of the chillies from the Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero plant growing indoors, but its counterpart living in the glasshouse (shown on the right in this next photo) is several weeks behind. Let's hope we get an extended summer so some of the chillies have chance to ripen.
.jpg "Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021") |
| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
.jpg "Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021") |
| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
.jpg "Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021") |
| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
.jpg "Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021") |
| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
.jpg "Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021") |
| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
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| Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 2nd September 2021 |
The four Capsicum baccatum varieties (Aji Lemon, Inca Berry, Inca Red Drop and El Oro de Ecuador) growing in the walk-in plastic greenhouse were moved into the glasshouse a few weeks ago because most of the tomato plants have now gone. This is better for them because they receive more light. There are currently six chilli plants in total now living in the glasshouse.
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| Chilli Plants in the Glasshouse - 2nd September 2021 |
Here are some photos showing four recent chilli harvests. It's just a shame that all the pods don't ripen up at the same time.
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| Chilli Harvest - 16th August 2021 |
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| Chilli Harvest - 23rd August 2021 |
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| Chilli Harvest - 3rd September 2021 |
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| Chilli Harvest - 7th September 2021 |
A door opened up on the right and a blond haired male was stood there dressed in black. He had a stripe running across his chest which showed all the colours of the rainbow. He said, "Come on, quickly. Hurry up!" Once inside we stood looking through the window and I could see a queen. The last time I saw her she looked golden, but this time she looked angry.