Chilli 'Habanero'
An intensely hot chilli, rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale. Habaneros produce small, bell-shaped fruit, which are scarlet red at maturity.
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Some like it hot! And if you do, then why not grow your own chilli? They range from mild peppery flavours to brilliant red mouth-burning tongue twisters – so hot that they can be dangerous and must be handled with care, even when planting. Ensure you wear gloves when sowing seeds and to wash your hands well after harvesting chillies as the oil/capsaicin can be irritating to eyes and sensitive skin.
How to grow chillies in a garden
- Choose a spot that gets plenty of sun and has well-drained soil.
- Prepare your soil ready for planting by digging in Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed a few weeks prior to planting.
- Wearing gloves, sow seeds directly into the garden bed or start in trays filled with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and transplant when seeds are 5cm high.
- Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food and make sure they are well watered. A layer of organic mulch, such as pea or lucerne straw will help retain moisture in the soil.
- Harvest when young or, for hotter taste, harvest when fully ripe. Pick often to encourage more flowering and fruiting.
How to grow chillies in a pot
- Choose a good sized pot, at least 200-300m wide and 300mm deep. Position in a sunny spot.
- Fill with a quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix.
- Wearing gloves, sow seeds direct or start in trays filled with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and transplant into pots when seeds are 5cm tall.
- Feed weekly with Yates Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food and make sure they are well watered.
- Harvest when young or, for hotter taste, harvest when fully ripe. Pick often to encourage more flowering and fruiting.
Chilli 'Jwala'
Also known as the Indian Finger Hot Pepper, this delicious chilli is a popular all-rounder for Indian cooking.
Chilli 'Bird's Eye'
Fiercely spicy and pungent flavoured Bird's Eye Chilli is a traditional favourite for Indian, Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine.
Chilli 'Long Red Cayenne'
Delicious fresh or dried, Long Red Cayenne is a perfect everyday chilli to add a spicy zest to salads, stir-fries, soups, pickles and salsas.
Growing tips
- Prune plants right back before the chance of frost in winter, but leave a few green leaves on each branch so the plant can continue to grow. Mulch well to protect from the cold.
More Plants
New Zealand Yam
NZ Yams have sweet tasting tubers with a hint of tangy lemon. They’re great for roasting, steaming, stir fries, boiling or mashing; you can use them just like potatoes.
Radishes
Radishes are fast, but healthy food! They grow really quickly and can be ready to pick in just 4 to 8 weeks.
Onion
They may make you cry, but onions are worth the tears! They can impart such a sweet or savoury flavour to your dishes, depending on how they’re used.
Broad Beans
Broad Beans are so rewarding to grow. And if you give them the right conditions, they will happily grow in the garden or in large pots.
Recommended products
Yates Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food
Yates Thrive Tomato Concentrate provides tomatoes with the balanced nutrition they need to produce large crops of delicious fruit and strong, healthy growth.
Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone with Seaweed
A certified organic garden input boosted with NZ Seaweed to gently nourish plants, enrich the soil and encourage a strong healthy root system.
Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix
Specially formulated for trouble-free seed raising in trays (or outdoor seed sowing direclty into the ground) and propagation of cuttings.
Yates Premium Potting Mix
A premium potting mix, ideal for all potted plants and shrubs, including ornamentals, fruit trees, vegies and herbs.
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