Choosing the type of chilli to grow

Choosing the type of Chilli to grow

So you want to start growing chilli's but really don't know where to start? Well you've come to the right place! The first thing to do is choose your chilli seed, if this is your first time it's best to go for something simple to grow, as a rule of thumb the hotter the chilli, the more difficult it is to grow. This shouldn't however put you off or discourage you from trying a hot chilli if you fancy it, my first chilli plant was the Bhut Jolokia, notoriously difficult to grow in the UK and it went just fine producing great fruit first time around without a particularly great summer.

The thing to consider if you haven't already purchased your chilli seeds is the amount of space required when the plants are fully matured. Some Plants can grow to over 1m tall and get quite wide (not great if your trying to grow it indoors in a small room). 

 

If you are planning to grow the plant inside but want a red hot chilli the Prairie fire chilli plant is ideal as it is small and bushy taking up little space (as shown on the right). 

If you want to try something like the Bhut Jolokia but want to grow it in a small area it is important to make sure the plant gets lots of light, remember, the more light the plant gets, the less leggy and big it becomes. I will soon write a piece on selecting artificial lighting if you are planning on using it.