hoskib

iTrader: (1)

or know any gardening forums that are any good?

i'm growing peppers for the first time and now there's fruit on them i'm a bit stumpted.

some sites i've looked at say to cut them off when they're an edible size, green and glossy. i thought they'd go red on plant like the chillis i'm growing?

and where do i put them to ripen? in sunlight i'm guessing or do they have to go somewhere out of the sun?

i just grew them for a laugh with my little nephew from seeds out of a supermarket pepper, i never expecting them to grow, let alone give fruit! now he's all excited i don't want to spoil them.

any tips?

here's the 'little' fellas -

hannogo

Bloomin heck bud,they have grown well,you do know that they are chilli peppers i take it?Dont let the little one taste em they're gonna be a lot hotter than shop bought ones.Keep them watered and in sunny window,use as aand when required.They will go redder as they ripen and you can freeze them whole.Treat with caution

hoskib

iTrader: (1)

deffo peppers mate, these ones Sainsbury's Sweet Pointed Peppers (2) Price Comparison | mySupermarket but you're right, they do look more like a chilli. probably not the best pics!

the chillis are 4 from the right, numex twighlight, hot little ******* apparently

hannogo

My mistake,still well grown and same rules apply apart from the freezing.I'd grow em big enough to stuff n bake personally.
Grew some little fiery ******* last year ,give me tongue rigor mortis for a few days

Dr Nick

Nice peppers!

I used to grow chillis and peppers a few years back.

These should ripen on the plant and go red yellow or orange. Red most likely. Taste will be better then too.

I'd take them off the plant once ripened as this encourages more to grow if its not too late in the season.

Well done!!

hoskib

iTrader: (1)

Cheers thanks for the tips aswell, did a bit more research yesterday and that's exactly what the gardening websites say to do. just got to wait for the colour change now.

i do wonder if i just lucked out with them growing or it's not as difficult as some sites make out? reading up on it at the start alot of sites were saying it's hit and miss growing from a seed straight out of the fruit, but i reckon every one grew!

couldn't have been more amaturish if i tried when i first planted them, couple of yoghurt pots with earth from the flower bed and we planted about 30 seeds in each pot (that got a bit crowded when they all came out) only started taking it a bit more serious when they really took off.

it's very rewarding to be honest, doesn't take up much room, pretty easy and cheap. my nephew is learning about the growing process and thinks it's great fun and i'm just hoping they don't taste like crap when (if) they're ready

Dr Nick

Some folks incorrectly say that chillis like mimimal water and blazing suhshine. But both these points are wrong. In Kew Gardens you may see them sometimes growing under a much larger plant in the temperate greenhouse - quite shady and damp.

The real trick is getting the right soil. I still don't know what it is that they like best but good soil can give better results even than the hydroponic systems I was using.

They also like a big pot as the roots go deep.

And if you get really attached to them, they will last over the winter if you keep them in doors, though most of the leaves will fall off and the plant won't look so pretty next year.

You can put them outside during the summer but thye tend to attract greenfly and leaves can fall off in the wind.

I would be very surprised if they do not taste just as good as the originals you bought from the supermarket.

The Hoff

iTrader: (5)

I have done exactly the same with chillis from the supermarket. 9 out the 16 I planted grew and have been producing lots of chillies ever since. Lots of water and plenty of indirect sunsine makes mine happy, I found if they get placed in direct sunshine they tended to go yellow and droop.

They will go a purple/brown colour for a few days then bright red, pick them as within a few days of chaning and then just keep them to dry out. If you leave them on the plant too long they will start to go over and want to drop of ready to feed the new seeds contained inside!