I enjoyed growing a couple of chilli plants last year and am going to town this year.

It has been more than a month since I sowed most of my chillies and things are finally beginning to happen, with three varieties well on the way to germinating and another just poking through. I haven’t pricked any out yet, I’ll do that at the weekend if I don’t get a chance beforehand.

Germinating

  • Cayenne
  • Hungarian hot-wax
  • Jalapeno
  • NuMex pinata

No sign yet

  • Habanero chocolate
  • Habanero tobago seasoning
  • Lemon drop
  • Padron
  • Pearls (biquino)

In each of these updates I will feature one of the chilli varieties I am growing. Let’s start with one of the germinators…

NuMex pinata
This variety was developed at the State University in New Mexico, one of many such developments it seems. It is a variation on Jalapeno, with similar size, flavour and punch. The difference is that these colour up whereas jalapeno is a duller green. The pinata go from green to yellow, orange and finally red. They can be harvested at any colour.

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NuMex Pinata – From premierseedsdirect.co.uk

I assume it is the range of colours that gave it the name, after the tradition in Mexico and other Latin American countries of hitting a brightly coloured pinata at birthday celebrations, usually filled with sweets and other goodies, also brightly coloured. Heat wise, these kick in at 50,000 SHUs. Medium-hot, not blow-your-socks-off-hot.

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I have seen pictures of other chilli growers’ well developed seedlings, all potted up and growing on nicely. The best of those have been grown indoors in a temperature controlled environment under grow-lights. I’ll confess to a certain amount of envy, I could convince myself I need some grow lights for the heated bench. My chillies are in the greenhouse, and whilst they have bottom heat at 22°c, the air temperature is cool and downright cold overnight some days, as well as still being dark for over 12 hours a day. Excuses excuses. Supposedly the game to growing a good crop of chillies in the UK is a long growing season. Mine will catch up. I hope!

Are you growing chillies this year? What varieties?

I’ll be back in a month or so with more chilli-business.