Growing chillies from seed can be an especially rewarding experience, either for beginners or seasoned gardeners. Nothing beats the flavour of a home grown chilli, bursting with vibrant flavours, aroma and a multitude of heats. The best part? When you grow at home, you get to control the heat and the tailor growing to your taste. The fruit is vitamin packed and ranges from mild to super-hot and offers unique flavour profiles, including smoky chipotles to fruity habaneros, there is a chilli for everyone. Start your own fiery harvest, unleash your inner chilli enthusiasm.
Todays 5 Minute Friday blog is all about growing chilli plants from seed. We cover what you need to help your seeds grow successfully, when is best to sow them and some of the best conditions to grow them in.
When to sow Chilli Seeds in the UK
Here at Newlands Nursery, we start sowing our chilli seeds in late November, or early December. By doing this, you will give yourself a longer growing season, along with stronger seedlings and the earlier start, will maximize your harvest. Plus the longer growing season also means, a longer period of time producing fruit, meaning more lovely home grown chillies to enjoy. At home you may not have the right conditions to start growing them so early, but don’t worry you can sow your seeds as late as March, and still get a good crop.
What do I need to sow Chilli Seeds
Seeds: The first step in your chilli growing adventure, is to choose which varieties to grow, there are hundreds to choose from, each offering different heat levels, colours and flavours.
Cell trays or pots: We prefer to sow our chillies into cell trays, finding them easier to handle and move around. However, if you do not have cell trays, pots will work fine. When choosing a pot any size from 5-9cm is ideal.
You will need some compost : This does not have to be anything special, a good quality multi-purpose works very well and this is what we use on the Nursery. The one area you must be cautious is sowing seeds into a nitrogen rich compost. If you are not sure about the level of nitrogen in your compost, it would be safer to use a specific seed and cutting mix, which can be purchased from any good garden centre.
Lastly some plant labels: This is especially the case, if you are growing more than one variety. Some chillies can be very hot, so make sure you label them, knowing what you are biting into is important!
Perfect position for Chilli Seeds
At Newlands Nursery we are fortunate enough to have a heated glasshouse for our chilli seeds. To grow chilli seeds at home, you will need to create a warm, consistent and humid environment. Here are a few options.
Sunny Windowsill - A south facing windowsill is idea, but a warm windowsill is more important.
A warm room - Ensure the room has a consistent heat of 25-28 degrees. Avoid putting them anywhere near cold spots or drafts.
Heated greenhouse or propagator - This is ideal for gemination, providing you have a consistent heat and a controlled environment.
Airing Cupboard - This space is ideal in lots of ways, but once the Chillies start sprouting, ensure you move them somewhere there is plenty of light.
Seed to Spice - Your guide to sowing Chilli Seeds.
Now to get sowing, with your seeds chosen and your cell trays ready, it is time to sow the seeds.
Prepare you pots or cell tray: Fill with the fine well mixed compost, do not be tempted to compress the compost, you want to place the compost in trays, almost all the way to the top. I like to keep the compost just shy of the top. This makes watering a lot easier. The cell tray itself is great for root development.
Sowing the seeds: When sowing chilli seeds (and many others), I find it best to empty the seed packet onto a plate, this makes them a lot easier to pick up. With your seed on the plate, pick up one seed and place it in the centre of each cell or pot. Don’t be tempted to push the seeds into the compost, just gently placing them on the surface is ideal. Repeat this process if you are sowing more than one seed.
Covering your chilli seed
Now with the seed on the compost, lightly cover each seed with a very thin layer of compost. You may have seen others pushing the seed under the compost. I prefer not to do this, as they can go a bit deep. A light covering of compost, or if you prefer vermiculite or perlite is perfect.
A gentle approach to watering: Water the compost gently. It is always best, when watering seeds, to do a light watering at first. Then wait until the water has sunk into the compost and repeat bit by bit, until the compost is nicely moist throughout. When the compost is wet enough, you will start to see water coming out of the base of the cell tray, if you have a lid then cover it now, or cover with clingfilm, this helps to create a humid environment.
Place the sown seeds in the right condition: Chilli Seeds Germinate their quickest around 25-28 degrees. A warm windowsill, or a warm room with a consistent heat is ideal. If you have a heated greenhouse or propagator, that will be even better for them.
When can I expect to see my Chilli seedlings?
This very much depends on the varieties you picked. The earliest you will see a chilli seedling break through the compost, is seven days. However, some varieties can take up to three weeks. So if your chilli seeds do not start to germinate in a few days, don’t lose hope, they are just taking their time.
If you do have any questions on growing chillies, or any of our other videos/blogs please do get in contact.
