Chillies, Toms & Sweet Pepper Growing 2013

Muzzy · Jan 13, 2013

I know it's a bit early for most but I've started mine already. I decided to try and give them an early start in the hope that this year there will be a major improvement in the spring and summer weather :ohmy:

Started some off in the heated propagator and now they're sitting under lights and doing well

I have set up a website The Allotment Shed aimed at new allotment holders. It's in it's early stages but interested grow your own enthusiasts can contribute to improving the site with fresh info and take part in the competitions that I'm running.

I hope that we get a better growing year this time around :thumbsup:

Cheshire Cat · Jan 13, 2013

Are chille plants perennials or annuals? I still have a couple from last year in pots indoors - will they produce chillies this year again?

mune ni kamome · Jan 13, 2013

My old man, when he was still here used to grow the biggest yellow tomatoes I've ever seen. They were funny shapes but were sometimes the size of honeydew melons. We used to cut them into massive "steaks" and fry them up. I think they were called " golden boy". I sometimes look at seed packet stands in the shops but have never seen them. Does anyone know if you can still get them. Wouldn't mind having a go at them

Colossal Squid · Jan 13, 2013

I have a chilli plant on my windowsill that I inherited from a neighbour. It has been BLOOMING for the past four months and given me some sizeable hot peppers which I've enjoyed immensely. HOWEVER the past few weeks have seen it wither and look incredibly feeble, despite no change in conditions or care. Now when I water it it just spits it straight back out the bottom. So I gave it a day without water to try and let it dry out, but it hasn't made a difference and it is still rejecting its water.

The chillies currently on it aren't quite ripe yet but are withering away like the leaves and I'm worried that they won't ripen now and the plant is about to die.

What has happened and is there anything I can do to save it?

brakespear · Jan 13, 2013

mune ni kamome said:
My old man, when he was still here used to grow the biggest yellow tomatoes I've ever seen. They were funny shapes but were sometimes the size of honeydew melons. We used to cut them into massive "steaks" and fry them up. I think they were called " golden boy". I sometimes look at seed packet stands in the shops but have never seen them. Does anyone know if you can still get them. Wouldn't mind having a go at them

A quick Google search reveals they seem to be available online eg:
Tomato Tondo Giallo - Golden Boy - Seeds
Tomato Seeds: Principe Borghese, Beefmaster, Liliput, Golden Boy, Cuor di Bue, Coeur du Bouef, Big Rio, Marmande, St Piere, Astro San Marzano Nano, Red Cherry

vegster · Jan 13, 2013

Colossal Squid said:
I have a chilli plant on my windowsill that I inherited from a neighbour. It has been BLOOMING for the past four months and given me some sizeable hot peppers which I've enjoyed immensely. HOWEVER the past few weeks have seen it wither and look incredibly feeble, despite no change in conditions or care. Now when I water it it just spits it straight back out the bottom. So I gave it a day without water to try and let it dry out, but it hasn't made a difference and it is still rejecting its water.

The chillies currently on it aren't quite ripe yet but are withering away like the leaves and I'm worried that they won't ripen now and the plant is about to die.

What has happened and is there anything I can do to save it?

You can get 2 years out of a Chilli with a bit of luck, I tried this last year for the first time. I had a late developing Chilli which produced a few fruit just as the cold and dark winter arrived but I read on the previous years Chilli/Tom growning thread a way to keep it alive.
Cut all the leaves off and leave the main stems intact up to the point where they stop being green. Clear any dead leaves off the surface of the compost to reduce risks of disease or fungus and water sparingly, then put the plant somewhere cool but light if possible. All the time that main stem stays green its still alive and you have a fighting chance that when the days lengthen and it starts to warm up it will re-grow from the bud axials on the stem.

I think it is important that there is some moisture at the roots but not to much. A plant will not "spit water out " this is merely water running off or through dry compost, remember a dry sponge does not absorb water. Use a drip tray and put the pot in it and then water in to the drip tray so it is absorbed from the bottom up.

I managed to overwinter 1 out of 3 plants successfully and I did get quite a heavy crop of earlier Chillies.Give it a go, you have nothing to lose.

clapham_gull · Jan 13, 2013

Starting mine today in the propagator. Trying some new vararities, but still the F1 super chillie that I've always had luck with. Even with last years complete write off.

You can pick up in Sainsburys.

On the tomato front I'm throwing all my bets on Super Marmande. I grew it a couple of years ago in a slightly shaded area as an after thought. This year its going in the sunniest areas.

It likes to be outside.

Different opinion online whether it should piched out.

vegster · Jan 13, 2013

clapham_gull said:
Starting mine today in the propagator. Trying some new vararities, but still the F1 super chillie that I've always had luck with. Even with last years complete write off.

You can pick up in Sainsburys.

On the tomato front I'm throwing all my bets on Super Marmande. I grew it a couple of years ago in a slightly shaded area as an after thought. This year its going in the sunniest areas.

It likes to be outside.

Different opinion online whether it should piched out.

I think that pinching out stops excessive leaf growth and allows the fruits to ripen a bit quicker. Also the beefsteak ones do produce heavy fruits and as such, limiting to three trusses helps stop the plant collapsing under the weight. I grew a variety last year very successfully, I'll try to post the name in a day or so as I'm out today.

Colossal Squid · Jan 13, 2013

vegster said:
You can get 2 years out of a Chilli with a bit of luck, I tried this last year for the first time. I had a late developing Chilli which produced a few fruit just as the cold and dark winter arrived but I read on the previous years Chilli/Tom growning thread a way to keep it alive.
Cut all the leaves off and leave the main stems intact up to the point where they stop being green. Clear any dead leaves off the surface of the compost to reduce risks of disease or fungus and water sparingly, then put the plant somewhere cool but light if possible. All the time that main stem stays green its still alive and you have a fighting chance that when the days lengthen and it starts to warm up it will re-grow from the bud axials on the stem.

I think it is important that there is some moisture at the roots but not to much. A plant will not "spit water out " this is merely water running off or through dry compost, remember a dry sponge does not absorb water. Use a drip tray and put the pot in it and then water in to the drip tray so it is absorbed from the bottom up.

I managed to overwinter 1 out of 3 plants successfully and I did get quite a heavy crop of earlier Chillies.Give it a go, you have nothing to lose.

Thanks, I'll give that a go. My concern is that overwatering has potentially rotted the roots and I don't know if this is something it can recover from

StillHateBellotti · Jan 13, 2013

Colossal Squid said:
I have a chilli plant on my windowsill that I inherited from a neighbour. It has been BLOOMING for the past four months and given me some sizeable hot peppers which I've enjoyed immensely. HOWEVER the past few weeks have seen it wither and look incredibly feeble, despite no change in conditions or care. Now when I water it it just spits it straight back out the bottom. So I gave it a day without water to try and let it dry out, but it hasn't made a difference and it is still rejecting its water.

The chillies currently on it aren't quite ripe yet but are withering away like the leaves and I'm worried that they won't ripen now and the plant is about to die.

What has happened and is there anything I can do to save it?

Looks like it could do with a drop of water!!!!

clapham_gull · Jan 13, 2013

All the seeds in.

Plus a small experiment like every year - some early tomatoes.

The weird weather last year has already affected me. I went to Amsterdam and brought back many tulip bulbs in September. Planted them literally everywhere, mostly in my beds made out of old wood and the pots I use for tomatoes.

Mild weather towards the end of last year fooled them into thinking it was spring and they started coming up before Christmas. We even had some hyacinths flowering.

Hopefully they will all go back to sleep because I was hoping for a spring explosion of colour.

clapham_gull · Jan 13, 2013

Anyone got any advice on beetroot ?

Djmiles · Jan 13, 2013

Colossal Squid said:
I have a chilli plant on my windowsill that I inherited from a neighbour. It has been BLOOMING for the past four months and given me some sizeable hot peppers which I've enjoyed immensely. HOWEVER the past few weeks have seen it wither and look incredibly feeble, despite no change in conditions or care. Now when I water it it just spits it straight back out the bottom. So I gave it a day without water to try and let it dry out, but it hasn't made a difference and it is still rejecting its water.

The chillies currently on it aren't quite ripe yet but are withering away like the leaves and I'm worried that they won't ripen now and the plant is about to die.

What has happened and is there anything I can do to save it?

Did you give the seagull any?

Muzzy · Jan 13, 2013

Dafs popping up everywhere already! This week may find them out!
Good luck with the early toms, mine are sitting under lights although I'm not expecting too much success from these. I will start some more next month just in case I have started them too early.

clapham_gull · Feb 24, 2013

Early tomatoes looking OK. Made sure they have been sat on the brightest window sill. Not convinced of the worth though, will put the main lot in next month.

Got far too many chilli plants on the go. Most have their true leaves. Convinced now that you've got to start them after Christmas.

Anyone got some advice on lights ? Don't want to spend much money and am quite happy to do a bit of diy.

Outside I've tulips coming up everywhere. They survived the snow after coming up to early.

vegster · Feb 24, 2013

clapham_gull said:
Early tomatoes looking OK. Made sure they have been sat on the brightest window sill. Not convinced of the worth though, will put the main lot in next month.

Got far too many chilli plants on the go. Most have their true leaves. Convinced now that you've got to start them after Christmas.

Anyone got some advice on lights ? Don't want to spend much money and am quite happy to do a bit of diy.

Outside I've tulips coming up everywhere. They survived the snow after coming up to early.

I'm not sure about starting things off too early. As I remember my biology most fruit and vegetables have their time to germinate and to flower and set seed at a given stage in its growth determined by, Hydrotropism,temperature and daylight hours. It's why Chrysanthemums flower in autumn, not spring.
I did a course once and the biologist in charge was working with Chrysanths in order to accelerate the flowering time by just 2-3 weeks in order to produce a higher value crop of cut flowers,he said, they were struggling. Up the plot I have noticed that some later crops of vegetables will flower earlier in their growing cycle in order to be polllinated and set seed before autumn.

I fear that plants forcibly accelerated in germination too early will just grow bigger before flowering rather than flower earlier. Bur, Time will tell. I have started off a few of my toms and peppers in a an incubator about 4 days ago in the hope that by germination the ambient weather is warmer than now.... otherwise, they will wither.

clapham_gull · Feb 24, 2013

vegster said:
I'm not sure about starting things off too early. As I remember my biology most fruit and vegetables have their time to germinate and to flower and set seed at a given stage in its growth determined by, Hydrotropism,temperature and daylight hours. It's why Chrysanthemums flower in autumn, not spring.
I did a course once and the biologist in charge was working with Chrysanths in order to accelerate the flowering time by just 2-3 weeks in order to produce a higher value crop of cut flowers,he said, they were struggling. Up the plot I have noticed that some later crops of vegetables will flower earlier in their growing cycle in order to be polllinated and set seed before autumn.

I fear that plants forcibly accelerated in germination too early will just grow bigger before flowering rather than flower earlier. Bur, Time will tell. I have started off a few of my toms and peppers in a an incubator about 4 days ago in the hope that by germination the ambient weather is warmer than now.... otherwise, they will wither.

In my rather limited experience, chilli plants are better started early. Even last year, the Christmas ones bore more fruit.

Tomatoes waste of time. The later ones just catch up.

jevs · Feb 25, 2013

Sowed chillis and tomatoes over a week ago and they're starting to come up now. Got some Habernaro and scoth bonnett chillis this year

Muzzy · Feb 25, 2013

clapham_gull said:
Early tomatoes looking OK. Made sure they have been sat on the brightest window sill. Not convinced of the worth though, will put the main lot in next month.

Got far too many chilli plants on the go. Most have their true leaves. Convinced now that you've got to start them after Christmas.

Anyone got some advice on lights ? Don't want to spend much money and am quite happy to do a bit of diy.

Outside I've tulips coming up everywhere. They survived the snow after coming up to early.

Lights

I bought 2 T5 lights in Homebase. I'm sure you could probably get them cheaper elsewhere but they were £17 each.

All the toms, chillies and peppers that I sowed very early did indeed make it after using lighting to stop them going leggy. It obviously remains to be seen whether or not they fruit earlier. I'll keep you informed.

Trufflehound · Feb 25, 2013

Cheshire Cat said:
Are chille plants perennials or annuals? I still have a couple from last year in pots indoors - will they produce chillies this year again?

vegster said:
You can get 2 years out of a Chilli with a bit of luck

Got three plants next to me here. The oldest is entering its 3rd year; the other two were planted from seed last year. All three looking very healthy and have loads of flowers on (and have been producing a few chillies all winter, despite a lack of insects for pollenation).

Last year I pruned the plants back for winter as the websites I'd found told me to, and 5 out of 6 died. This year I haven't cut anything back, and all three plants seem grateful for it.

For the record, I'm a crap gardener - and no I don't have my heating up very high...

Edit: They're indoors and have been since October. I don't have a greenhouse, so I just put them out in the garden from Apr until it turns cold. Seems to work.

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