- Planting chillies: The perfect location
- When should you plant chillies?
- Grow your own chilies
- Plant chillies
- Should you plant chillies in a greenhouse or outdoors?
- Planting chillies in pots
- Plant Chili Tree
- Caring for the chilli after planting
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The fiery chili can also be grown here. Here you can find out everything you need to know about the location, time and procedure for planting chillies.
The freshest chilies (Capsicum) undoubtedly come from our own garden. With their delicate, white flowers and colorful pods, chilli plants decorate many a garden or balcony. Chilies belong to the paprika plant genus (Capsicum) and thus belong to the large family of nightshade plants (Solanaceae). Within the genus Capsicum , a distinction is made between five different species, which are divided into an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 chili varieties. With their fiery heat and great variety, they have long been an integral part of Asian and Latin American cuisine. But even with us, dishes seasoned with chili are becoming more and more popular. Would you also like to plant chilies in your own garden? In our article you will learn everything about planting chillies, including the right time to plant, the location and sowing the fiery pods.
Planting chillies: The perfect location
In order to understand the requirements of the chili, one has to deal with the origin of the plant: Researchers assume that the plant genus Capsicum and thus also the ancestors of today's chili peppers come from Mexico - an extremely warm and sunny region. You should take this into account when choosing a location for your chilli plants: a bright, sunny and airy place is perfect for them. All chili varieties can be cultivated both in pots and in the garden bed. Chili also likes to find a place in the greenhouse or on a sunny house wall so that the plant is particularly warm.
Chili also places special demands on the substrate. But what kind of soil does the chili plant need? Basically, the plant prefers a moist, loose and nutrient-rich substrate. If you want to plant chillies in the garden, you should make sure that the soil ideally has a neutral to slightly acidic pH value. It is also advisable to fertilize the soil well with compost before cultivating the chillies. Sothe heavily consuming plant gets enough nutrients for its growth. Alternatively, a fertilizer with an organic long-term effect, such as our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, can be used to improve the nutrient supply in the soil.
Good tomato and vegetable soil is best for planting chillies in pots, such as the Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil: Due to its increased potassium content, the soil improves the cell wall stability of the chilies and thus ensures greater plant he alth, especially resistance to fungal pathogens.
Summary of the right location for chilies:
- Sunny and warm
- Airy
- Moist, nutrient-rich substrate
- Neural to slightly acidic pH
- Add horn shavings and compost or primarily organic long-term fertilizer to the soil when planting
Tip: Low-growing chili varieties can be grown very well outdoors in mixed cultures. Good neighbors for chilies are fast growing summer lettuce like rocket (Eruca sativa), radishes (Raphanus sativus var. sativus ) or parsley (Petroselium crispum ssp. crispum). In the greenhouse, chilli plants like to share space with low herbs like basil (Ocimum basilicum).
When should you plant chillies?
Due to their long development time, chilli plants are sown from January and planted outdoors from mid-May. Plants that have been placed in the greenhouse or cold frame find their way outside as early as mid-April. Even before the planting date, you can place the plants in the sun during the day so that they get used to the sunlight. In addition, the additional light promotes the development of the plants.
Grow your own chilies
Anyone who has been growing chillies in their own garden for a long time will sooner or later also deal with sowing chillies. Particularly exotic chili varieties are often only available as seeds, but not as young plants. The propagation of your own chili plants can only be done through the seeds. In fact, it's not that difficult to grow your own chillies.
The early cultivation time alone should always be considered: many chilli varieties need well over 100 days from sowing to the first harvest, which is why cultivation should begin as early as possible. Depending onvariety, the chilies should be sowed between mid-January and early March.
But before you start sowing the chillies, the seeds can be awakened from their hibernation: they are placed in lukewarm water to swell a few hours before sowing. During swelling, substances are released from the seed coat, which slow down the opening of the seed due to their germ-inhibiting effect. In addition, the seed can absorb water, which it needs to break through the seed coat.
In the meantime, you can already prepare the pots for the plant: classic propagation pots are ideal for growing chillies indoors. A good growing soil, such as our Plantura organic herb and seed soil, is recommended as a substrate for sowing the chili. The airy, loose structure of this soil and the comparatively low nutrient content have a positive effect on the root growth of the plants and thus sustainably support the he althy development of the young plants.
After the seeds have spent a few hours in the warm water bath, you can press three to four seeds into the soil per seed pot. Since chillies are dark germs, it is important to ensure that each seed is carefully covered with soil. The chillies need about 10 to 20 days to germinate in a bright, at least 20 °C warm location. During this time, the substrate should remain consistently moist - regular watering is therefore important. A mini greenhouse or a propagation box also help to create ideal conditions for the chilli seedlings. However, these should be aired regularly.
As soon as the second pair of leaves appear on the plants, it's time to prick out the chillies - i.e. separate them with a pricking stick or wooden stick and plant them in new, more nutrient-rich soil. In a larger pot with high-quality vegetable soil, the home-grown chillies can now wait for their final place in the bed or greenhouse. In this phase it is also important that the soil of the chilies is kept permanently moist without waterlogging.
Summary of growing your own chilies:
- Sowing time is from January to March.
- Before sowing, soak seeds in warm water for several hours to break down germination inhibition.
- Per seed pot 3 to 4 seeds can be planted in nutrient-poor soil.
- Cover seeds with soil.
- During germination needs itTemperatures of at least 20 °C and a bright location.
- Substrate is kept permanently moist.
- Greenhouse should be ventilated regularly.
- Prick out once the four-leaf stage is reached.
Tip: Growing chillies is particularly easy with our Plantura chilli growing set: In addition to exciting chilli varieties and the necessary accessories for breeding, we also offer you a free online basic course with the set. This course will guide you through all the important steps - from sowing to harvest.
Plant chillies
Once the optimal location for the chillies has been found and the temperatures are stable and warm, the time to plant has come. Before planting, you can loosen the soil well and enrich it with compost and an organic long-term fertilizer. The plants are now placed in the ground at a distance of at least 40 centimeters so that the entire root ball is embedded in it. A plant stick to which you attach the chilli plant provides the necessary support. Finally, water the young plants well.
Instructions for planting chili:
- Loosen the soil well
- Enrich with compost or with a primarily organic long-term fertilizer such as Plantura organic tomato fertiliser
- 40 cm planting distance
- Attach plant to plant stick
- Water well
Tip: When planting in the garden you can use a mulch film. This suppresses the weeds very well, protects against evaporation and the soil warms up faster. It is simply laid out and slit where the plants are to be placed.
Should you plant chillies in a greenhouse or outdoors?
Since chillies are particularly warmth-loving and sensitive to frost, the greenhouse offers a number of advantages. Above all, heated greenhouses protect chillies from late frosts in spring or early frosts in autumn. But even a non-heated greenhouse is very suitable to a certain extent as protection against cold and weather. Especially in combination with the long growth time of the chili, this weather protection has an enormous advantage: chillies can be planted earlier in the greenhouse because they are less dependent on temperatures and weather. So becomes the dangerminimizes that the chillies do not ripen until winter.
However, regular ventilation is essential when growing chillies in a greenhouse: On the one hand, pollination can be insufficient in a closed greenhouse, since insects or at least some air movement are required for this. On the other hand, the air humidity in closed greenhouses is often too high, which opens the door to fungal diseases. Regular airing is therefore mandatory to keep the plants he althy and achieve a high yield. In summer, when the temperature is high, the greenhouse windows can often be left open all day.
Summary: Planting chillies in a greenhouse or outdoors?
- Planting in a greenhouse with heat can increase yields and ensure maturity until the end of summer.
- Regular ventilation is very important to ensure pollination and prevent fungal diseases.
Planting chillies in pots
The advantage of growing chillies in pots is that you can quickly bring the plants inside when the weather is too cold. However, the growth of chillies in pots is limited, so the plants usually develop a little worse than in the garden bed. To plant your chillies in a pot, you need a sufficiently large planter that can hold at least 6 liters. In addition, it should definitely have a drainage hole and a drainage layer.
In the summer, the chillies in the pot can be left on the patio or in a sunny, sheltered place in the garden. Chilies love a slightly acidic pH of 6.5. A high-quality vegetable soil - such as the peat-free Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil - is the ideal substrate for potted chillies.
Growing chili on the balcony
Grow chillies on the balcony? Yes, it works: In fact, many types of chili can be grown in pots on the balcony without any problems. However, not every balcony is suitable for growing chillies - the orientation of the balcony must be taken into account if you want to grow chillies there. South-facing balconies are ideal for the heat-loving plant because this is where the chilies can soak up the most sun. The chilli plant can also grow on east- or west-facing balconies if at least five hours of sunlight are guaranteed. A north-facing balcony, on the other hand, is anything but ideal due to the low level of sunlight.
Choosing the right type of chili is for growing on the balconyjust as important: owners of smaller balconies should look out for chili varieties that stay small, such as 'Habanero White' (height about 50 cm) or 'Royal Black Chili' (height about 75 cm). Because many well-known chili varieties with a size of up to 1.60 m are only conditionally suitable for small balconies. On the other hand, if possible, balconies in semi-shade should be planted with particularly fast-growing and robust chili varieties such as 'Siberian house paprika' or 'NuMex Twilight' - these also thrive reliably under less than ideal conditions.
Special features of chilli cultivation on the balcony:
- South-facing balconies are best, but east- or west-facing balconies are also possible.
- Chilli types that remain as small as possible should be chosen.
- For balconies in partial shade, robust and fast-growing varieties are recommended.
Growing chili as a houseplant
It is a special eye-catcher when chili plants are not in the garden but are kept as houseplants. In fact, all types of chili are suitable for growing indoors, although small varieties are often preferred due to space constraints. In fact, growing indoors is often positive for chili plants, as the consistently warm temperatures are very beneficial to the heat-loving plant. However, when growing the chili indoors, you should make sure that the plant gets enough light. Anyone who cannot serve with large windows and bright rooms should definitely use a plant light to provide the sun-loving chillies with sufficient brightness. Humidity also plays a major role in chili plants in the home: dry heating air causes them to wilt quickly. Humidity around 50% is optimal, which can be achieved by regularly spraying the plant with water or water bowls near the radiator.
If you want to keep your plant indoors all year round, you also have to help with pollination so that the plant bears fruit. Since there are often no pollinating insects or the necessary draft for pollen transfer indoors, you have to pollinate the chillies by hand. To do this, use a real hair brush to carefully move from flower to flower to pick up and distribute the pollen.
Special features of indoor chili cultivation:
- Use small chili varieties
- Choose a bright, sunny spot
- Use a plant lamp if there is not enough light
- Keep humidity at least 50%
- If necessary, pollinate flowers by hand to obtain fruit
Plant Chili Tree
When planting the special tree chilli (Capsicum pubescens), you can proceed in a similar way to planting normal chillies both in pots and in beds. A wind-protected location is particularly important for the tree chillies. They also prefer a partially shaded location rather than full sun. With a stick you offer the plant more stability.
We have put together important tips and tricks for growing tree chillies for you here.
Caring for the chilli after planting
The right care is crucial for the quality of the chilies. The chili must be watered sufficiently and regularly, especially during fruit set. Chilies prefer permanently moist soil, so it should be watered regularly, daily in summer.
In order to be able to bring in a rich harvest, fertilizing the chillies with a long-term fertilizer is recommended. Our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer with organic long-term effect provides your chillies with all the important nutrients by releasing them to the plants in a long-term and soil-friendly manner. A long-term fertilizer application when planting the chillies is ideal. In addition, the chilli plants need a lot of nutrients when forming their flowers, which is why additional fertilization of the chillies is generally recommended.
If you have a lot of nettles in your garden, you can make your own fertilizer that is quite rich in nitrogen and potassium - nettle manure. However, such a liquid, organic fertilization should only be used in addition to the basic fertilization. It cannot completely replace them without permanently depleting the soil. Liquid fertilizers can remedy acute nutrient deficiencies particularly quickly and support the chili shortly before the flowering and fruiting phase. Our liquid Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertilizer also mainly contains nitrogen and potassium and is a fast-acting alternative for anyone who doesn't have nettles to hand to make manure.
During the entire growth period, the bed of the chilies should be regularly cleared of weeds, as they compete with the plants for important nutrients. It is also important that the humidity in the greenhouse is 75%. This is ideal for the chillies to grow. One too highHumidity promotes the formation of harmful fungi. On the other hand, if the air humidity is too low, evaporation and dehydration are too rapid and can even lead to insufficient fruit setting due to drying flower organs.
Tip: If you want to look forward to a particularly rich harvest, the first flower buds should break out on the plant. This ensures additional branching and thus a higher flower and fruit set.
Here you can find out what the spiciness of chillies is all about and how to get your chillies particularly hot.