Growing chili as a hobby has long since left its niche as an extravagant pastime behind. The healthy pods with the hot taste belong in every modern kitchen. This is how you become chili self-sufficient in no time.

Early sowing creates the basis for a rich harvest

Since chili varieties allow up to 4 months for the fruit to ripen, early sowing is a mainstay in cultivation. February and March have proven to be suitable months for starting chili cultivation.

  • Soak seeds in lukewarm salt water for 24-48 hours
  • Fill the seed tray with a peat-sand mixture or seed compost
  • Plant the seeds 3-4 mm deep at a distance of 2 cm and cover them with a thin layer of soil
  • moisten with rainwater from the spray bottle

At 25-28 degrees Celsius in a bright window seat that is not in full sun, the seeds become active quickly. Optimum conditions are found for sowing in a heatable indoor greenhouse. Covering the seed pot with cling film comes close to being ideal.

Make room for the chili by pricking it properly

Once the cotyledons have fought their way through the earth to the light, the first pairs of leaves will follow them within a short time. As soon as the plants touch each other permanently, they are pricked out.

  • Fill seed pots (€16.68) with lean substrate
  • lift each seedling out of the ground with the pricking stick
  • Pre-drill the planting hole with the stick and insert one chili per pot up to the cotyledons
  • Moisten regularly with a fine rainwater spray

Light and warmth are still essential for healthy, compact growth. However, it shouldn't be in full sun yet. Temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius stress the delicate chillies.

Carefully repot into the final planter

Before you go out on the balcony from mid-May, repot your pupils. At the latest when the roots peep out of the opening in the bottom of the growing pot, they want to move to a larger container. They will stay there at least until the end of the season.

  • Lay out a drainage made of gravel, grit or broken pottery in a bucket or flower box (€16.99).
  • fill in nutrient-rich substrate up to 5 cm below the edge of the container
  • Plant the chillies down to the lower pair of leaves and water

An average planting distance of 50 cm is recommended in the flower box. Smaller chili varieties can be placed a little closer together. Each plant receives a support stake to protect against windthrow.

Choose the location in the bed carefully

It is an open secret that chili plants are only partially suitable for outdoor cultivation. Hobby gardeners in mild wine-growing regions are much better off than their colleagues in northern Germany. In order for you to successfully breed chili in the bed, the following premises apply:

  • sunny, warm, sheltered position
  • humic, nutrient-rich soil, fresh and slightly moist
  • ideally under a rain canopy or in the foil tunnel

tips and tricks

If you are a hobby gardener and want to manage chilli cultivation with limited free time, choose hydroponics. Instead of in conventional soil, the plants thrive in expanded clay.(19.73€) They independently meet their water and nutrient requirements from a supply, which can be read off via a special display.

Category:

Vegetable garden