Spicemad

Things are progressing nicely here at the chilli house of love, albeit a tad slower than expected due to the weird weather we've had in the UK this summer. When I take photos of the plants I typically choose an overcast day with little to no wind, and we haven't had many of those lately. It's either been too sunny, which causes the photos to be overexposed, or it's been blowing a gale, chucking it down with rain, or both. The last day of July was my only real opportunity to take photos of the plants, and so I did just that.

Sunset From the Garden - 20th July 2021

In this post I'll introduce some of the newcomers to this year's chilli plant tribe. There's a couple of new varieties I'm growing this year that aren't true to type, one of which being the supposed Caribbean Red. I won't be posting any photos of those plants just yet until I can identify what they are, but needless to say I've grown Caribbean Red enough times over the years to know for certain that the plant I have this year isn't one of them. It looks like it could be an Antillais Caribbean, and if the chillies ripen to red then that's likely what it is.

Because Caribbean Red and Antillais Caribbean both contain the word 'Caribbean' in the name, I think some sellers have a tendency to get the two varieties mixed up. A few years back I purchased seeds for Antillais Caribbean and the plant turned out to be a Caribbean Red. However, I'm sure they'll still be very nice chillies, and Antillais Caribbean is a variety I've wanted to grow for quite some time. I sowed seeds for it last year, but sadly none of them germinated.

Chilli Plants in the Porch - 1st August 2021

Aji Arnaucho is a real Peruvian beauty, especially when the chillies start to ripen. I've grown this variety several times in the past, including last year. At the end of the season I'll be adding more photos of this one to the site. This year's plant lives in the glasshouse with one of the Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero plants.

Aji Arnaucho - 31st July 2021

The outdoor Aji Largo plants get full sun from about 12pm until 8pm, and during the recent heatwave they were using just over a litre of water each per day. They seem to really like being where they are, and both of them are fruiting like crazy. Next year, I intend to start the Capsicum pubescens varieties off earlier, probably around the beginning of January. Although the outdoor plants have been fruiting for weeks, the indoor plant has only recently gone into fruit mode. Initially, it produced five fruits, but I picked those off while they were still green and added them to a pot of chili con carne.

Aji Largo - 31st July 2021

Aji Lemon is a great variety and one that never disappoints. As mentioned in previous posts, I have two Aji Lemon plants this year. One is growing in a 7-litre pot in the greenhouse, and the other is growing in a 3-litre pot in a bedroom window. The bedroom plant can be seen in this next photo on the left, alongside its counterpart from the land of walk-in plastic fantastic.

Aji Lemon - 31st July 2021

Aji Mochero is once again like a small pod factory, and I've already picked quite a few ripe chillies from the plant. I still have some of last year's Aji Mochero chillies in the freezer to get through, and over the next few weeks they will be used up in several batches of hot sauce that I'll be making.

Aji Mochero - 31st July 2021

This year, I'm growing three Bell Pepper plants. Two are growing in 5-litre pots on a windowsill, and the other is growing outside in the ground. All I know about these is that the final colour could either be red or yellow. Years ago I remember Bell Peppers having a distinct flavour, which is hard to describe, but I'm sure some of you will know what I mean. Nowadays, it's very rare to come across one that has the true flavour.

Bell Pepper - 31st July 2021

The Chocolate Habanero plant is in the process of setting lots of fruit, and a couple of them are now starting to ripen. This variety is definitely one of my favourites.

Chocolate Habanero - 31st July 2021

I'm growing Demon Red this year for the first time. Two plants are growing in 3-litre pots, and the other is growing in a 5-litre pot. Obviously this variety is best suited to growing in small pots because the plant growing in the 5-litre pot hasn't grown much bigger than the other two in 3-litre pots. The chillies have a pretty good flavour and an average amount of heat.

Demon Red - 31st July 2021

The Dorset Naga plant has really surprised me. In the previous post I mentioned that I may need to move it because the flowers weren't producing any pollen. Well, the following day when I checked I noticed that it had set several fruits, and since that time it has set a lot more, nearly all of which have grown to a good size. Whenever I've tried growing Dorset Naga plants on windowsills in the past I was lucky if they produced two small fruits. This plant is growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window and has produced about 35 so far.

Dorset Naga - 31st July 2021

Inca Berry is chugging along with the rest of them and has recently started setting fruit. Apart from that there really isn't much else to report.

Inca Berry - 31st July 2021

Inca Red Drop is starting to produce lots of chillies, as per usual. These are nice added whole to certain rice dishes, such as Mexican or Spanish rice. I normally add them just before putting the lid on the pot.

Inca Red Drop - 31st July 2021

Bug Damaged Inca Red Drop Fruit - 31st July 2021

Inca Red Drop - 31st July 2021

The Malawi Bird's Eye plants are growing in 3-litre pots this year, so they're not very big. They live on a bedroom windowsill and get about five hours of sun a day, if they're lucky.

Malawi Bird's Eye - 31st July 2021

The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion plant is doing very well and has started setting lots of fruit. By the end of the season I should hopefully have a nice amount of these. The last time I grew this variety was back in 2019, and those chillies lasted me for a year and a half. I've noticed that they stay good in the freezer for about a year, but after that time they start to lose a bit of heat.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - 31st July 2021

The Orange Habanero plant is growing in a 5-litre pot in a bedroom window and has produced about 30 chillies so far, nearly all of which are a very good size. Now that I've picked the first ripe fruits I'm hoping that the plant will produce a few more. New flower buds are starting to form, so it looks quite promising.

Orange Habanero - 31st July 2021

The Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero plants are doing well. The one that was living in the walk-in plastic greenhouse at the time of posting the previous update was moved shortly afterwards and now lives in the glasshouse with the tomato plants. It's still a few weeks behind its counterpart living indoors, but has picked up nicely and is now flowering.

Yellow Jelly Bean Habanero - 31st July 2021

The Capsicum baccatum varieties living in the walk-in plastic greenhouse had to endure daily temperatures of 110F during the recent heatwave. However, since that time they've been lucky if it gets above 70F.

Chilli Plants in the Greenhouse - 1st August 2021

This next photo shows the first small chilli harvest of the season. The varieties shown here are Aji Mochero, Aji Lemon, Cumari Do Para, Inca Red Drop, Malawi Bird's Eye and Orange Habanero.

Chilli Harvest - 31st August 2021

Hopefully, by this time next month there will be lots of ripening taking place here, although I have a hunch that this is going to be quite a long growing season. I hope the weather brightens up a bit too. These past few days and nights have felt quite autumnal to me. You never know, come this time next month we could have Siberian blizzards and three feet of snow. Let's hope not though.

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