Chili Varieties - Growing Chillies

Where to Buy Chili Willy Peppers

Our site has had so much traffic from the Chili Willy Peppers, that we must do another post with some links to help you purchase some!

Laugh away, it’s totally ok.

It’s not hard to understand why, this unique chili is rude, crude and outright fantastic.

Also known as Peters Peppers or Penis Peppers, the Chili Willy Peppers have that very distinct shape.

Chili Willy Peter Pepper Appearance

When you see it, you can’t ignore its shape. The chilly willy or peter pepper is accurately named. When fully grown and ripened, the chili pod has a long conical shape and a bulbous end that shares an uncanny resemblance to… well we all know!

It doesn’t only look good but also taste spicy (excuse the pun…)

Attending a dinner or BBQ with this chili is a good conversation starter between your family and friends. The chilli pods go from green to red over time.

Chili Willy Penis Pepper Taste and Heat

Medium-hot to pretty darn fiery (reportedly in the 10,000 to 23,000 scoville scale Units range) and are good tasting (great for spicing up salsa as well as conversation).

Once you get past the laughs, there’s a pretty significant hot pepper here – hotter than a jalapeño.

Where to Buy Chili Willy Peppers & Availability

You might be able to find them at farmer’s markets if you are lucky, but if you really want chili willy peter peppers, you’re going to need to invest time into growing them.

Peter pepper seeds are widely available online, and that’s how this chili has survived and grown its cult following over the years.

This is the trickiest part. These chilies are, in fact, pretty rare to find. Many people grow peter peppers, but, for obvious reasons, they aren’t typically carried in big-box supermarkets. These chilies are too likely to cause an uproar.

Seeds are hard to obtain around the world and are limited. but we have them here!

This is one naughty pepper, that’s for sure. In fact, it gives the popular term “food porn” a whole new meaning.

If you want your own peck of peter peppers, you’ll need to be on the look-out (or get ready to grow them). But, when you do find them, enjoy the laugh along with the good taste.

Naga Viper One of the Hottest Chili Peppers in the World

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The Naga Viper is considered as one of the hottest chili peppers out there. In fact, it takes the fifth place on the scale, according to an official Scoville measurement. Eating this chili pepper is quite demanding and can be a real challenge for the big majority of consumers. Those who have tried this hot pepper described that experience as extremely unpleasant. They say their tears leaked down the face, while their hands and body trembled. They felt the strong heat in their bodies that lasted quite long. It affected all their senses, so they seemed totally shocked.

Clearly, this hot chili is not for kids, and all potential consumers have to be very careful. It is a hundred times hotter than some regular hot chili pepper, so that makes a real difference. The Naga Viper came from the United Kingdom, where it was created by chili pepper farmer Gerald Fowler. He worked for the Chili Pepper Company in Cark and made the Naga Viper in cooperation with them.

It is regarded as an unstable hybrid pepper, produced from the Bhut Jolokia, the Trinidad Scorpion, and the Naga Morich. The parent chili peppers are also very hot, so it inherited that characteristic from them. Because of the hybrid nature, producing is typically unstable, and there is no guarantee of the success. In fact, The Naga Viper is very rear pepper, and you cannot find it everywhere.

However, it does have a quite characteristic look with a light, red or green color and irregular oval shape. The pepper is 3 to 5 centimeters long while the plant is 90 to 150 centimeters tall. The time of germination is from two to three weeks, and the period of maturation is approximately 90 days.

The creator of this pepper, Gerald Fowler once said, “This is painful to eat.” The tongue starts feeling numb and tingles while the throat begins to burn during swallowing. The strong heat can last for more than one hour, and for that time, it is very hard to speak with anyone. However, the chili also stimulates endorphin rush, so you can feel great at the same time.

If you are brave enough and want to try one of these, then you might want to check out my Chilli Shop here.

Cherry Chili – What are they?

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The Cherry Pepper also known as the Cherry Chili, chili tomato, or Hungarian cherry pepper is a fantastic chili to grow. This mild to hot pepper is commercially grown in the USA, Europe and Mexixo. The Cherry Pepper has been documented as far back as 1543.

The peppers produced by these plants are small and round, they resemble a cherry tomato. Peppers range from mild to hot and register 5000-8000 scoville scale units.

The cherry peppers grow a dark green colour and as they ripen they will change to a very vibrant red. Truly a spectacular plant to have.

The chili tomato is commonly used in Asian, Southwestern, Mediterranean, Portuguese, African and Mexican cuisine because of the size and shape. This chili is a great garnish and really puts some colour into food especially salads.

These chilies are also great for stuffing or picking because of the thick fruit walls and round shape. Due to the thick walls this chili cannot be dried.

As with most chili’s this plant enjoys hot climates, well drained soil and generous amounts of water. Maturity takes approximately 120 days. These plants can mature and fruit at a small size so they are great for a small bench or windowsill.

We have a Chili tomato plant in our inner city apartment and we get one full ripe fruit each week from the plant. We bought it at a mature age at a local hardware store for $6AU and it only stands 40cm tall. We would highly recommend the cherry pepper to anyone wanting a small but very colorful chili tree.

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Beginners Gardening: Tips To Grow The Birds Eye Chilli Plant

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Thinking of growing a birds eye chilli plant? Great choice! These compact plants are easy to grow and they produce lots and lots of yummy birds eye pepper fruits, perfect for use in all kinds of home cooking recipes.

As a beginner, it is a great idea to do some research so that you understand how to grow the bird’s eye chilli because it has some specific care needs.

With the tips and information below, you’ll be ready to grow a strong, healthy birds eye pepper plant that keeps giving you delicious fruits all growing season:

Why Grow A Birds Eye Chilli?

The birds eye chilli comes from Africa and in some areas you can even find it growing wild, although this is becoming less common with agricultural use of land.

They are grown commercially because they are compact, but they produce lots and lots of fruit. The fruits, which are about 5CM long and red, produce a gentle heat of around 100,000 on the Scoville Scale, which makes them easy to use in a huge range of commercially produced foods.

There are lots of reasons to grow the delicious bird’s eye chilli which is also known as the Thai Chilli or the Thai Dragon in some stores.

One of the key benefits is simply gardening, which in itself has some amazing health benefits. According to Healthline, gardening can help boost your mood, boost your immune system, reduce your stress and might even help you recover from addiction – to name just a few benefits.

The chilli plant itself is also a great choice for gardeners because the fruits are so yummy, and healthy. You also get a real sense of satisfaction and pride from growing your own produce.

When it comes to using that homegrown produce, the birds eye chilli is super versatile and can be included in both sweet and savoury cooking as well as drinks, like a chilli hot chocolate. You can also eat them fresh, or dry them yourself, even turning them into a chilli powder or sauce for use at a later date. The possibilities are endless.

As if that wasn’t enough, when you eat a bird’s eye chilli you get a dose of vitamin C, antioxidants and they can even help reduce inflammation in the body and could even promote weight loss.

These beautiful little fruits sure do pack a punch!

How To Grow A Birds Eye Chilli Plant As A Beginner

The birds eye pepper is a great choice of chilli plant for a beginner because it tends to be hardy, produce lots of fruits and it is quite compact at around 60-80CM.

To begin your growing process you need to buy some great seeds to grow. You can purchase them from suppliers on the internet, or in a local garden centre as this type of chilli plant isn’t rare. If you don’t want to grow from seed try buying some starter plants and skip a stage of the growing process.

If you are buying the plants from seed you will want to start germinating them around January-February indoors. Soak them in water for a few hours before potting to give them the best chance of germinating.

To pot them up you will need to use nutrient poor potting soil that you keep moist, but not sodden.

You should put one seed per starter pot with a little soil on top and then keep the pots by a bright and sunny window. They will take about two weeks to germinate but might come faster, especially if you keep them at around 25 degrees Celsius and keep them away from drafts.

During this time, it is better to use a spray bottle with water to keep the plants moist, rather than pouring water on them, which can dislodge the vulnerable seedlings.

Once the plants have around 4-8 leaves on them they can be placed in a bigger pot. If you are potting them up inside, keep one plant per pot of around 7.5 CM and then plant them on into bigger pots as the plant grows. If you are growing them outside they need to be around 30-40CM apart and 2-3 feet between rows which gives them space to grow and plenty of ventilation. This should only be done when the last frost has finished.

If you are moving them from outside to inside it is important to harden them off by gently exposing them to the new temperatures and light of their new spot. This will avoid transplant shock.

When ready, the birds eye chilli plants should be planted in loam based compost with a little vermiculite and perlite so that they have great ventilation.

The soil should be really loose and include at least some fertiliser in the way of worm castings or well-rotted manure.

These kinds of plants tend to do well in sunny spots of the garden, however, areas prone to heat waves can produce wilting chilli plants. If you know you are prone to this kind of weather it is worth planting your bird’s eye chilli in a partially shaded spot right from the beginning.

The plants should be soaked after transplanting to help them ‘settle in’. After that they should be watered around every other day or third day depending on the weather, keeping the soil moist but never sodden.

As a general rule the soil should never dry out completely, something you can keep an eye on by popping your finger into the soil regularly. If the plant is dry after about an inch, it needs watering.

To fertilise your bird’s eye pepper plants you can use tomato fertiliser, but some people like to use fish emulsion or sometimes seaweed.

The trick is not to over fertilize the bird’s eye pepper, as this can burn the roots and kill the plant really quickly.

If in doubt, dilute the fertiliser to around a quarter of the strength of the manufacturer’s instructions and then feed them around once a week. You can also do something called ‘pinching’ to encourage bushy growth of the chilli pepper plants, as shown in this Youtube video.

You’re Ready To Grow Birds Eye Chilli Plants!

With a little research it is always much easier to avoid common chilli plant growing mistakes and enjoy a successful growing season right away.

Hopefully, with our tips and information above you’re ready to grow and harvest birds eye chilli peppers all season long, for endless spicy and delicious recipe combinations to try out and serve to family and friends.

Easy to Grow Trinidad Scorpion Pepper

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When it comes to the world’s hottest pepper that can give you goose bumps and turn you red, nothing can beat Trinidad Scorpion pepper (also called the Trinidad Moruga scorpion pepper). This exceptionally hot chili pepper is especially grown in Australia and is a Capsicum Chinese cultivar.

The Trinidad scorpion pepper is one of the hottest peppers in the world. As is evident from the name, this species is indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago, hence sometimes referred to as the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper.

Being one of the world’s hottest peppers, it finds its use in a number of chili sauce companies. The pointed ends of the pepper apparently resemble a scorpion’s stinger and hence the name scorpion.

This chili is so hot on the pepper scale that you might have to wear protective gear while using this in your food. Without wearing gloves, you might have to endure pumping heat for a couple of days. Also, if you eat this spicy pepper, you can feel your mouth going numb.

Trinidad Scorpion Pepper Uses

Trinidad Scorpion contains capsaicin that is of immense use for people suffering from skin disease like psoriasis to inflammation and itching.
This ingredient also helps in suppressing appetite, according to some research.
Capsaicin also helps in preventing the growth of prostate cancer cells.
This is also used to cure arthritis pain as well as neuropathic pain.
This red hot chili can also be beneficial for curing and treating ear infections. According to a study, this also helps in treating heartburn.

How to Grow Trinidad Scorpion Pepper

If you are ready to grow some of the reasonably spiciest and hottest peppers in your backyard, then you should definitely go for Trinidad Scorpion pepper. Also, you can easily grow this pepper in your garden and take up this exciting project.

The process is not at all complicated and mainly involves planting, watering and harvesting. All the more, growing Trinidad Scorpion chili is an easy and inexpensive project.

So, as an initial step, you need to fill up a tray with Trinidad Scorpion seeds. Plant the hot chili pepper seeds carefully at a depth of ¼ inch in the tray. You have to plant them almost 10 weeks prior to the last expected cold frost. Following this, water the pepper seeds properly with hot or lukewarm water right after planting the seeds.
Your next step would be to place this tray somewhere with a temperature of 85 degrees F or 30 degrees C and with sound air circulation. The tray should be uncovered. At this chili sprouting stage, temperature becomes more important than light. Hence, place the tray in a dark area. Maintain moisture around the young plants and seeds. The chili pepper soil should not be soggy or wet.
After the Trinidad scorpion seeds have sprouted, move the seedlings to somewhere where they can get access to 10 hours of sunlight. Here, maintain a temperature of 70 degrees F or 22 degrees C.
Now, plant the chili seedlings in your backyard 2 weeks following the last cold weather. By now, the plants must have grown to 12 inches high. The planting bed should get complete sunlight and the temperature should be between 60 to 95 degrees F or 15-35 C. If there are hotter areas in garden, put the growing chili peppers in shade. Maintain a space of 2 feet between the pepper plants in the planting bed.
Now it’s time to fertilize the chili peppers sprinkle granular fertiliser (5-10-10) alongside the rows of chilli plants after they have blossomed. Fertiliser will provide the essential nutrition for the pepper plants to grow fully.
To water your chili plants do so in the early evening or in morning, water your pepper plants well with sprinkler or watering can to simulate rainfall. Maintain dampness in the soil without getting them soggy.
The final stage is to harvest your chili peppers which can occur approximately 40-100 days following the planting of the chili seeds. By now, the young peppers will grow green, yellow and then red. So, now they are ready to be picked.

For best results, provide rainwater or non-chlorinated water to your chili pepper plants. However, care needs to be taken while planting the hot pepper seeds. It’s highly necessary to wear latex gloves and wash hands with soap after planting them.

The Chili Willy: Is It Time You Started Growing The Worlds Rudest Chili?

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The chili willy is a cute little pepper famed for its phallic appearance. It can be grown, eaten or just displayed as a novelty centrepiece.

If you’re a chili enthusiast there’s always room for more chili facts, and none can be as fun, entertaining and interesting as those about the chili willy pepper.

Let’s take a closer look at this willy shaped fruit and all it has to offer:

What Is The Chili Willy Pepper?

The chili willy is a type of Capsicum Annuum Var. Annuum, otherwise known as an heirloom pepper. You can get it in red, yellow or green varieties all of which may vary in their appearance to some degree.

You can find the pepper most commonly cultivated across Mexico, Texas and Asia, although you can get seeds and plants worldwide.

Nobody knows if this plant was bred to look as rude as it does, but these days it is equally used for food and novelty.

Some people absolutely love its spicy flavour, but for some, the joy of seeing such a weird and wonderful plant growing in their home or garden is enough of a return on their cultivating investment.

Where to Buy Chili Willy Peppers

Laugh away, it’s totally ok. It’s not hard to understand why this unique chili is rude, crude and outright fantastic. Also known as Peters Peppers or Penis Peppers, the Chili Willy Peppers have a very distinct willy shape.

When it comes to buying these peppers it can be difficult in some areas where seeds or plants are more difficult to come by.

Some countries, though, have an abundance of plants and seeds on offer so it really does depend on your location.

Chili Willy Peter Pepper Appearance

It doesn’t only look good but also tastes spicy so you can cultivate it not just for show, but for use in lots of different recipes like pickles, sauces and even sweet dishes like chocolate chilli pots.

At the very least you can use it as a garnish to give your guests quite the shock.

Attending a dinner or BBQ with this chili is also a good conversation starter between your family and friends so do consider the chili willy as a gift next time you attend an event.

Chili Willy Penis Pepper Taste and Heat

These naughty peppers are medium-hot to pretty darn fiery (reportedly in the 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville Scale Units range) and are really great tasting (fantastic for spicing up salsa as well as conversation).

The texture is not meaty or dense like a jalapeño, making them ideal for drying and using at a later date.

Once you get past the laughs, there’s a pretty significant hot pepper here – hotter than a jalapeño. They are hot enough to stop you giggling once you get stuck in to trying one, that’s for sure.

Growing Your Own Chili Willies

You might be able to find chili willies at farmer’s markets if you are lucky, but if you really want chili willy peter peppers, you’re going to need to invest time into growing them.

Peter pepper seeds are often widely available online, and that’s how this chili has survived and grown its cult following over the years.

Here’s how to grow your own chili willies:

Place your chili willy seeds into potting soil in a warm spot long before the last frosts are due. You’ll want to gently pat some soil over the top and then sprinkle some water over the seeds. You can find some handy tips on germinating your seeds quickly in this Youtube video.
Once your seeds have germinated you should keep the soil moist, but not drenched – watering when the top layer of soil looks dry.
When the chili plants have a few sets of leaves you can thin them out and plant them out (if it is warm enough and the time for frost is over). They can either go about 20 inches apart in a greenhouse, polytunnel or garden (if your climate is hot enough) or one to a ‘permanent’ pot if you are growing indoors.
Once your plants are growing nicely in their permanent spot you should take care to fertilise them and prune them as needed so you get full, bushy plants to harvest from. You can harvest around 18-20 weeks from planting the seeds if the proper care is provided to the plants.

The key to growing healthy chili willy plants is to ensure they get enough sunshine and plenty of drainage. One of the quickest ways to kill any chili plant is to grow it in soil that does not drain well.

The excess moisture can cause mineral buildup, root rot and it can lead to fungus issues on the leaves.

Your plants should have really well draining soil that doesn’t drain so fast nutrients are lost, but that also doesn’t hold onto moisture so much your plant gets sick.

Will You Be Eating Or Growing Chili Willies Soon?

This is one naughty pepper, that’s for sure. In fact, it gives the popular term “food porn” a whole new meaning.

If you want your own peck of peter peppers, you’ll need to be on the look-out (or get ready to grow them).

But, when you do find chili willies, enjoy the laugh along with the good taste.

The Famous Naga Viper Pepper: One Of The Hottest Chillies Ever Grown

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Are you obsessed with hot chillies like the naga viper pepper? It is a flavour sensation, if you can push past the heat, which sits at about 1 million to 1.5 million Scoville Heat Units. Phew!

To help you understand more about this delicious but totally sweat-inducing chilli pepper, here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the famous naga viper pepper:

What Is The Naga Viper Pepper?

The naga viper chilli has been purposely created by a farmer in England called Gerald Fowler from Cumbria, who crossed the Bhut Jolokia, the Naga Morich and the Trinidad Scorpion and created the naga viper.

The naga viper was known as the hottest chilli pepper in the world in 2011, and although it sits further down the hottest chilli pepper list now, it still packs a real punch.

To determine its heat the pepper had to go through various tests at a special laboratory in Warwick. Those tests rated the heat of the pepper at 1.3 million at the time, a cause for great celebration by its creator Mr Fowler.

Only a year after it was hailed as the world’s hottest pepper the viper was overtaken by one of its parent peppers, no less, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. The Scorpion only reigned for a year itself though as the Carolina Reaper took over and remained in top position as the world’s hottest chilli since 2013.

How Does The Naga Viper Pepper Differ From The Naga Morich?

The naga morich is one of the three chilli peppers used to make the naga viper and it sits at about 1-1.5 million on the Scoville Scale.

The peppers are different though as the morich is essentially one of the three parents of the naga viper.

The Naga Viper – A Taste Experience

The naga viper pepper is considered as one of the hottest chili peppers out there. In fact, it takes the fifth place on the Scoville Scale.

Eating this chili pepper is quite demanding and can be a real challenge for the majority of consumers. Those who have tried this hot pepper described the experience as extremely unpleasant. Many say that tears leaked down their face, while their hands and body trembled.

Don’t take our word for it though, you can check out the effects of this super-hot chilli in this Youtube video.

Clearly, this hot chilli is not for kids, and all potential consumers have to be very careful before they try the naga viper. It is a hundred times hotter than some regular hot chili peppers like the jalapeño so it isn’t just a casual spicy treat, it’s a real taste experience to try one.

Side effects of eating the naga viper aside, its flavour profile is actually one of great depth. It smells very sweet and fruity and when you first try it, those are the taste notes that hit you. Of course, it doesn’t take long for the burn to hit and those fruity notes only seem like a far off memory.

Culinary Uses For The Naga Viper Pepper

The naga viper chilli is mostly used for novelty experiences like chilli eating contests and extremely hot sauces. You can use it in cooking but, to make it palatable enough for regular use you would only be able to use the tiniest amounts at a time, so one would last you a very long time.

Instead, we recommend (carefully and in good health) experiencing the naga viper to its full potential and enjoy trying some of it raw, or some food that contains it such as a curry. The inventor who also runs a pub offers naga viper curry eating experiences, but you have to sign a waiver first!

Can You Grow A Naga Viper?

You can’t currently grow the naga viper because the way it was cultivated has no strong and stable method yet. What that means is the chillies that are made using the cross-breeding still don’t produce peppers that are exactly the same as the parent plants.

In essence – the plants can be made from certain processes, but no naga viper stable strains currently exist.

You would not be able to reproduce one yourself at this time. If you can buy the seeds, the chances are you won’t get a pepper plant exactly like the parent plant it came from, so it’s better to spend your money elsewhere.

You could, however, grow a Carolina Reaper chilli plant which is currently the world record holder for the title of world’s hottest chilli plant.

It sits at over 1.5 million on the Scoville Scale and you can grow it yourself at home.

Will Dragon’s Breath Become The World’s Hottest Chilli?

The naga viper and similar peppers have all had their moment in the spotlight as, for a short time, the worlds hottest chilli. Moving forward, the chances are even the famous Carolina Reaper will be pushed off the throne by another chilli. At the moment there is a rumoured plant that could potentially do just that and it is called dragon’s breath.

Dragons breath chillies have been made by Mike Smith, based in St. Asaph and could top 2.48 on the Scoville Scale. The pepper is thought to be so powerful, in fact, it could actually kill you.

Of course, words mean nothing when it comes to breaking records and lots of testing will need to occur before dragons breath can officially take the crown from the Carolina Reaper.

Will You Be Trying The Naga Viper Pepper?

Trying hot chillies is an interest for some, and even a passion for others. It’s a real adrenaline rush and some people truly enjoy the experience.

If that’s you, perhaps the naga viper pepper should be next on your list as it would be a real achievement to try it, especially considering its rarity because of how it’s made.

Serrano Pepper: Growing Tips For Beginners

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Serrano pepper chillies are spicy and extremely versatile when it comes to the many different culinary creations you can make with them.

Because they are such a versatile fruit, many people choose to grow the Serrano pepper plant at home.

Just like any chilli plant, there’s a lot to do to make sure you grow your Serrano just right so that you can get a healthy, bountiful yield.

To help you, we’ve collected all the best tips and handy information so that you know exactly how to grow Serrano chilli like a pro:

What Are Serrano Pepper Plants?

Serrano chilli plant peppers (Capsicum Annuum Longum) were originally grown in the mountains of Mexico in Pueblo and Hidalgo.

In fact, name Serrano is actually derived from the term ‘Sierras’ – the name of the mountains in that part of Mexico.

The Serrano chilli plant peppers can be red, brown, orange or yellow but are most commonly sold in a green colour.

They also average around 1-4 inches in length and they tend to be about half an inch in girth.

If you’re wondering what they are like compared to other more well known chillies, you could compare them to the jalapeño as they are similar in appearance and in their meaty, juicy, thick texture.

What Dishes Can I Use Serrano Peppers In?

Serrano chilli plant peppers are extremely versatile when it comes to cooking, which is why so many people want to know how to grow them well. They are particularly yummy in a spicy salsa, like the one in this Youtube Serrano chilli salsa recipe.

You can also use them to make spicy relishes and hot sauces, pico de gallo and even yummy savoury marmalade’s. We particularly love them pickled and then used in kebab, falafel or chicken grill wraps.

How Hot Is The Serrano Pepper?

The Serrano chili plant pepper is several times hotter than the Jalapeno pepper, scoring a Scoville Scale rating in between 10,000 – 25,000. That makes it hotter than the jalapeño which is more towards 8,000 on the Scoville Scale.

However, as it is as crunchy, dense and fresh as the jalapeño it’s a bit like a hotter, spicier relative of that popular chilli and can be used in many of the same sort of dishes that a jalapeño is.

How To Grow Serrano Pepper?

Growing a Serrano chilli plant is completely achievable for any beginner gardener. To get to grips with how to grow Serrano chilli, all you need to do is follow these steps:

The first step is to let the serrano chili pepper seeds sprout. You do this by sowing the seeds ¼ inch deep in a seedling tray. The seed starts will need some warmth and sunshine in order to germinate properly. As it is recommended that you do this indoors, you could place a heat mat under the tray and then put the tray near a window with lots of sun exposure. Artificial lighting is a good substitute if not enough sun is entering through the window.
After 2 – 3 weeks, you can transplant the young plants into the garden, or into pots to grow indoors. There should be a distance of about 12 – 48 inches apart for each young plant. Each row should be at least 24 – 36 inches apart. If you are growing them in pots, you should grow one pepper per pot. Peppers like warm temperatures so you should plant them in places that get lots of sun.
The area of the garden, or the pot where you plant the peppers should have a fertile soil with a PH between 6.2 – 7 and that soil must be well drained otherwise it could cause diseases like leaf spot.
Your chillies are ready for harvesting in 2.5 months starting from the day you transplant them. The plant will yield a lot of small waxy green fruits in 60 days. After 80 – 100 days, the green peppers will be big and ripe in red, yellow or orange shades. During harvesting, you use a pruning shear or sharp knife to nip off the chili pepper. The fruit can last longer if you keep the stem attached.
After harvesting the peppers, you can keep them in an airtight plastic bag or plastic container in the refrigerator. Serrano chilli peppers don’t tend to do well being dried so are best pickled or made into storable sauces, jams or pickles.

Extra Growing Tips

If you want to get lots of yummy fruits from your Serrano chilli plant your soil must be rich in potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. In addition, you must regularly water the plant and make sure the soil is moist all the time. If your soil does not contain enough nutrients, you can put 3 – 5 inches of rich compost above the soil. You may also want to use organic fertilizer to fertilize the plant when it shows signs of fruiting.
When growing the plants outside in early in spring, you can use a row cover to keep them warm and protect them from the cold. If a surprise spring frost is in the forecast, it is advised that you use a frost blanket to cover and protect the young plants. The plants tend to grow poorly and the leaves may turn yellowish when the temperature falls below 55º F or 12º C.
It could be worth checking out tips on topping and pruning chilli plants to get a bigger yield. You can find more information about this area of chilli plant cultivation here.

Now You Know How To Grow Serrano Peppers Like A Pro

With a little dirt and some seeds, you really can create something wonderful right in your own backyard.

Now you know how to grow a Serrano Pepper plant like a pro, you’ll be well on your way to creating delicious dishes, sauces and dips to delight your family and friends.

Mild Chili Plants – Growing Bell Peppers

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The most common pepper species is the bell pepper named appropriately from the physical shape of the fruit. In British English, the fruit is simply referred to as a “pepper”, or additionally by colour eg. Green pepper. In many Commonwealth Nations, such as Australia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand, they are called “capsicums”.

Another name is the sweet pepper because of the sweet taste. Bell peppers are the mildest form of chili’s. They are listed as zero on the scoville scale and don’t emit any heat at all.

Bell Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Pepper seeds were later carried to Spain in 1493 and from there spread to other European, African and Asian countries. Today, Mexico remains one of the major pepper producers in the world.

Bell pepper plants are vigorous upright plants producing green ,yellow, orange, red and even purple fruit. Bell pepper skins are glossy and deeply colored, with the flesh being crisp and succulent.

Bell pepper plants measure 18-30 inches in height and are generally very productive. The ‘Jingle Bell’ pepper plant produces miniature bell peppers measuring less than 1 inch long. This variety is excellent for container growing. A tray of stuffed miniature bell peppers is delightful.

Growing Bell Peppers

– Plant seeds eight weeks before the last frost indoor using a pot that is at least 2 inches or slightly larger.

– Transplant young seedlings in the ground or a pot outdoors after the last chance of frost. If the weather is still cool, delay transplanting for a few days. Wait until the soil is 70 to 85 degrees before setting the seedlings out.

– Space the seedlings 9 to 12 inches apart and in rows 12 to 24 inches apart.

– Water the plants regularly, especially in the hot, dry summer months. Pepper plants like moist soil. If you do not water enough, the bell peppers will acquire a bitter taste or even worse get frail and die.

– Surround the peppers with mulch to keep weeds from growing and to retain moisture.

– Harvest the bell pepper at any point after they reach an edible size. Most bell pepper peppers are green when immature and can be harvested at that time. Mature bell peppers can be red, orange, yellow, green or purple depending on the variety. Continue to harvest bell peppers by clipping them off the plant. Bell peppers will continue to grow until the first frost.

Bell peppers are delicious eaten fresh in green and pasta salads, and make a wonderful addition to spaghetti sauce. The fruit is also frequently consumed in its unripe form, when the fruit is still green. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than red, yellow or orange peppers.

The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment. The sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.

Compared to green peppers, red peppers have more vitamins and nutrients and contain the antioxidant lycopene. The level of carotene, another antioxidant, is nine times higher in red peppers. Red peppers have twice the vitamin C content of green peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

One of the most common bell pepper recipes Stuffed Bell Peppers. Dad’s Stuffed Bell Peppers is a very good post detailing how easy and great this disk is to make. I would highly recommend give it a crack.

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Banana Peppers and How to Grow

Belle Pepper Chili Varieties June 1, 2022banana chili, Banana pepper 0 Comment

Banana peppers are a yellow pepper with waxy skin from the chili pepper family. It is thus named because its color and shape looks like the tropical fruit banana. Most of the time, the fruits it yield are deep yellow color when fully mature but they can also be red or orange color sometimes.

There are many varieties of banana peppers including mild and hot varieties. Mild banana pepper varieties can be harvested faster than the hot banana pepper varieties. Regardless of whether it has a mild or hot flavor, it tastes delicious when used in salad, sandwiches or other recipes.

You can germinate banana pepper plants indoor during the spring or summer when the temperature is warm. The young plant is ready for transplant when it has outgrown the seedling tray. It should be spaced about 18cm – 24 cm apart and each row should be about 24 cm apart.

The temperature should be above 60 degree Fahrenheit when you transplant them. It should be transplanted to an area of your garden that is not exposed to too much wind and receives full sun. In order for it to grow healthily, it needs a minimum of 6 hours of sunshine daily.

If your soil is not fertile, you can mix in compost and manure fertilizer to increase the nutrients. Nitrogen fertilizer should not be used as it only cause more leaves to grow without the increase yielding of fruits. If your soil lack of magnesium, you can spray some Epsom salt on it. It is encouraged to use mulch to reduce weeds and maintain the soil moisture level.

The banana pepper plant will become thirsty quickly so you must regularly water it. When watering, just water enough to keep the soil slightly moist. Lack of watering can cause the fruit to taste bitter. Heavy watering can cause the soil to become waterlogged which can eventually destroy the roots. Watering the plant is during the evening can prevent diseases.

If the plant grows too tall and become lanky, you can set up a trellis or wooden sticks to provide support for it. Peppers do best when the temperature is around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature reaches beyond 90 degree Fahrenheit, the blossoms can wither away. To protect your plant from the scorching sun, you can set up a shelter to provide some shade.

You can harvest the banana peppers when they reach full size and the skin is thick and firm. As soon as they become yellow color, you can harvest them. You can also wait for it to turn red or orange color to harvest them. When harvesting, use a pair of scissor to nip it off rather than pulling it off the plant with hand. Banana peppers is best used to make pickles when they you are not able to use them within a week.

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