When you look at the plant and it has a lot of fruit, you may think it’s not time to cut it back, but in fact it is. The fruit can still be eaten ripe or unripe, so you don't need to waste it. The fruit still growing, can take away, a lot of energy from the plant. Chillies are perennial plants, so we are thinking of the plant, rather than the fruit.
We have done lots of experiments on overwintering chillies, and reducing the size of the plant, is a real must. By removing the fruit, this lets the plant put all its energy and strength, into growing strong for the next season.
The harvest time for chillies is quite short, so storing them is a great way to preserve them, for use during the winter. Whole chillies will keep well in a zip lock bag in the fridge or pantry. You can dry them on a low setting in the oven, roughly 5 to 6 hours, until crumbly. Freezing is particularly good, slice open and remove stems, then freeze, whole or chopped depending on how you want to use them.
On the nursery it has been a long-standing family recipe, that we make chilli jam, delicious with a cheeseboard, glazed on pork or bacon, stirred into a chilli or Bolognese. Enjoy your chilli plants, however you like them.
Browse our plants available now pages here.
How to cut back your chilli plants for winter.
At the beginning, middle of February is when we like to sow tomatoes, specifically hung. With any fruit implant, especially an annual fruit implant, it's often best to get a bit of a head-start. And tomatoes normally surprise people. When they're growing, they grow so fast, unbelievably fast. However they actually take longer than most people think to germinate. Please watch the video attached for a step by step on how to sow your seeds!
After watching our video, make sure to get ordering your seeds and sow some tomatoes this weekend. See you soon!
]]>As we get into the winter months, if you're anything like me, you still want to do some gardening or something plant related. We have our houseplant range, which we sell, and people take advantage of that in the winter, therefore it's worth giving some helpful tips for your house plant journey.
Please do watch our video linked below for detailed advice and reference! In which there's two things that I cover. One being position, and general advice surrounding that. And two being watering, which is by far the biggest mistake that people make.
After watching the video, you have any specific questions about specific species or anything like that, make sure you comment or let us know. Get in contact, We're here to help. See you soon!
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In the video linked below, i'm going to prepare this chilli plant to take through the winter, hopefully for you to reference! So many people are unaware that chilli plants are perennial. They come back year after year. By the time you get to about the fourth, the fifth year, they don't become particularly productive. In the video below i'll discuss that there's a few things you can do, to prepare for the winter. The perfect time to prepare would be around about the middle of September, towards the end of September. This will depend on what part of the country you're in.
After watching the video, the question you might be asking is, even so, why not just so fresh seeds every single year? You can definitely do that. Chilies are so productive, but actually a second year and a third year chili, something that's been through two or three winters is so much more productive. In the second year you can often get twice as many fruit off the same plant. So definitely give it a go. any questions, get in contact as we're here to help. See you soon!
]]>This is a post for when you're taking plants through the winter. A great example is a lemon verbena, a fantastic, beautiful plant, and it's a perennial plant, but it can suffer through the winter if it sits too wet. A lot of people grow them in pots, you can move it to a sheltered position or put it in the greenhouse. If your plant goes in the greenhouse it's not going get rained on all that much, you're in more control. But if you put it close to the house, and we got loads and loads of downpours of rain, then it can sit too wet, even in a pot.
What happens is the base of the pot, where the holes are, the compost will start washing through time and time again, and it gets bunged up. Essentially, you need to lift your pot off the ground. But there is a step by step video linked below, on what to do to prevent your plants from becoming water logged in the winter. Very simple.
We hope this helped, any questions get in touch. See you soon!
]]>This is a fantastic time of year, late July to early August, to take your rosemary, because the cuttings are soft and they take a lot easier. I'll explain what I mean by that in the video below, so it's important to watch, as well as a step by step and bespoke guidance! So we take cuttings from rosemary this time of year, a huge amount. They take a long time. You have to be patient with rosemary. It's a slow growing plant, specifically when it comes to propagation and taking cuttings.
If you watch the video you'll understand the takeaway advice is to; keep it moist, but not too wet. Cover it up. Simple as that. Enjoy, if you've got any questions at all, just ask, we're here to help. See you soon!
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This time of year, when the summer is at it's height, a lots of chilli plants or pepper plants, are starting to flower. You may find the flowers are just falling off, and producing absolutely nothing at all.
It's the simple fact that the plant isn't actually getting pollinated, the flowers not getting pollinated. I understand there could be so many reasons behind that, please watch the video below where I state these, and how to prevent your flowers falling, we want the best possible growth for your Chillies!
Essentially you're not going to get a hundred percent of the flowers to set in, but you will get a lot more. Any problems at all contact us, we're here to help. See you soon!
]]>One of the questions we often get asked about the chilli plants, is when to actually pick them. It's not always that easy, especially if you're fairly new to growing chillies. The simple fact is, you don't really know until you've picked them. In the video linked below I reference a piquante and a naranga, they're two different varieties, but they give you an idea of how chillies can change through stages. So it's important to watch for a step by step!
After watching the video, there's helpful tips, but i'd advise you to just pick a few. Just try it, trial and error. If you've got any questions at all, make sure you get in contact! See you soon.
]]>With the heat at it's height, anyone who's done any gardening for any period of time, is going to suffer from a few flies; Greenflies, Whiteflies and more. I noticed, that a few people have mentioned it from plants that they've grown from us, all of a sudden, these Greenflies just appear. It's inevitable horticulture. But we don't really want greenfly or whitefly on our plants. In the video linked below I go step by step on how to prevent this ! I am using Lemon Verbena, but this technique is applicable to any plant !
Essentially, use a spray water bottle with some washing up liquid in it, and spray over, what it would do to the bugs, is it would gum them up, and mean that they're not going be able to live. This is the most convenient, at home and natural way I can advise. Give it a go! If you have any problems don't hesitate to get in contact. See you soon!
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The most common issue we ever get with a plant is over-watering. Our nursery is now 70 years old, still, it is only members of the family who do the watering because actually, believe it or not, you get that right, you've cracked 99% of all the problems you get with plants. And over-watering, we all think we're being super nice, and that actually can cause more problems than under-watering. Of course, all plants are different, in the video below I discuss what you can do in general and use a reference achillea plant. Please watch for a step by step!
If you've got any questions, we understand it varies from one plant to the next, just ask your questions, get in touch in a way that suits you, and we'll be sure to get back to you. See you soon!
]]>I wanted to share a few tips about what to do as the weather gets warmer, especially if you've got pots. In the video linked below I reference a Tulbaghia, that is overwintered, and it's got little tiny weeds in it. My tip is to take them out, no matter the plant, now and save yourself a lot of work later. They're going to turn into big weeds, and we want big plants. Easy as that.
Any questions please do get in touch, we're here to help always! See you soon.
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In the video linked below we're in one of our greenhouses. I'm going to show you how to cut a herb to use in your cooking. so make sure to watch along for reference!
Essentially;
1. Make sure the plant is big enough. I am referring to a nice chunky one in our step by step video.
2. Don't start with a tiny plant.
3. Cut it off at the stem.
This can be used in a tea, it can be used in your cooking, you can use it in a salad, and loads of herbs are like that. I'm using mint, but it works with thyme, it works with rosemary, it works with sage. Just go for it, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch, we're here to help! See you soon.
]]>Now, Obviously chilli plants have been a big topic over the last couple of months for Newlands, and some of you wanted more details about what to do when they arrive to you. Please do watch the video linked below where I give you a step by step and all you need to know, about caring for a Chilli Plant!
After watching you'll understand the overarching tip is to, keep it watered but not too wet, and it's as simple as that. Do watch our video for bespoke advice.
Your chilies should grow up, and you'll be cropping them a bit later on in the year. Any problems or queries, please do get in touch, we want the best for your Chilli Plants! See you soon.
]]>We get asked the question all the time. How am I meant to cut my herbs? I've got a few different herbs in an informational and tutorial style video linked below, so please watch along for a step by step, hopefully you'll find your herb, but it's a universal and applicable tutorial!
If you've got any questions after viewing or giving it a go, just get in contact. We're here to help. See you soon!
]]>Cross-pollination is something that you can do across so many plants. In the video below I show you how to perform this very easily on a chilli plant, for reference and detail, it's important that you watch, we want the best outcome for you!
To be honest it's quite fun to do, and it's interesting to see what you're going to get. So give it a go. Any problems give us a call, we're here to help and advise. See you soon!
]]>Effectively, this post is about why and how to deadhead a flower. We're going to, take the dead heads off, in order to put more strength into the plant, and to produce more flowers. And we get flowers for a longer period of time, and also your pots, your baskets, your flower beds, always look better when they've been deadheaded. What I'd recommend is you do a little bit often, rather than waiting for loads and loads of deadheads.
Please watch our video below, for a step by step tutorial and reference, for the best possible outcome!
this is nice and easy, nice and simple, but it makes a vast amount of difference. In the hot weather as well, make sure you've got your hat on, give 'em a water, and start deadheading.
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French tarragon is such a fantastic herb, there's a video below attached which will describe more in detail, how to cut it specifically, so please watch for reference! It gives you a bit of an insight, and also to how we produce cuttings on the nurseries, which isn't dissimilar to at home cutting. If after this video you do struggle with French tarragon, definitely look for 'four seasons tarragon' It's a fantastic plum. If you follow our steps in the video, in about 8-9 weeks, they should start rooting. You're going to end up with new tarragon plants!
Any questions at all, contact us. We're always happy to help. See you soon!
]]>There's a massive divide in the chili growing community. It's to do with the first flowers and fruit that you get on a chili plant. We advise what to do in the video attached below, so please watch for reference! The overall takeaway from this video is, to do not much at all. It's actually to leave those fruit on and let the chilies grow. Again please watch the video below where we describe in more detail what to do with Chilli Plants.
As always, if you've got any questions at all, get in contact. See you soon!
]]>Watering plants is by far the part of gardening that people get wrong the most often and it isn't an exact science. I won't go as far as saying it's an art, that sounds a bit pretentious, but it takes a lot of experience to get it right. Please watch the video attached below for reference and advice from me! In the video we go round the nursery, to show you various different size pots and different plants and show you how we'd water them, in the hope that you're going to get a bit of experience.
As with everything, if you've got any questions at all, just send us a message, and we'll be able to get in contact with you. See you soon!
]]>I wanted to talk about propagating plants from root cuttings, and if you like leaf cuttings, you're going to love root cuttings. This works well with mints, horseradish, fruit, and so many things. Please watch the video below for reference, where I use Mint as an example and show you step by step.
As always, we're here to help. See you soon!
]]>As the weather gets hotter, there's, even more, need to protect your plants from insects!
Flies on your plants is not ideal, here's a Quick Tip!
]]>As the weather gets hotter, there's, even more, need to protect your plants from insects!
Flies on your plants is not ideal, here's a Quick Tip!
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Welcome to Today’s #5MinuteFriday
Today's Five Minute Friday is specifically about chilli plants! We often get asked why the flowers are falling off your plants.. so here's the answer!
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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Here's Alan to show you how to EFFECTIVELY Water your plants! 🌿
]]>Here's Alan to show you how to EFFECTIVELY Water your plants! 🌿
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Here's this week's Five Minute Friday where I'm going to show you how to plant a herb pot!
What you need
Step One
Fill your plant pot with enough soil/compost almost all the way to the top but so the plant will be surface level.
Step two
Take each plant you want to put and arrange them as you wish.
Step three
Simply fill in the soil around the plants! Make sure you tap it down to help settle the soil!
Congratulations. You have just potted some herbs! Super easy for you to do at home!
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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As you know I love propagation and this weeks five minutes is all about root cuttings. I am going to show you how to produce a new plant from the roots of another.
What you need
Step One
Take your plant out of its pot and look for some nice thick roots. Tease that root out from the compost until you get a nice length of root. About 20cm will be enough. Cut the root off with a pair of scissors
Step two
Now you have your root, look at it and you will see finer roots coming out of it along its length. What I want you to do is cut your root into 2 or 3 sections making sure there is some root growth on each section.
Step three
Take your pot and add some compost to a level where it is around 2 fingers depth from the top.
Step four
Now place your roots on the top of the compost and fill the pot up to the top with some more compost.
Step five
Tap the base of your pot down and if the compost sinks a bit top it up. Now water the pot well and you are done.
Congratulations. You have just taken your first root cutting
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our fourth 5 Minute Friday
This week I want you to cut some plants back and give them a freshen up with some new soil and pot.
We have got to the time of year where it is easy for plants to look a bit scruffy, especially the ones that have come through a long winter. So go into the garden and see if you can neaten up some plants.
Okay let’s start
What you need:
Step 1
First, we need to find a plant that needs a bit of cutting back. In the video, I used a cotton lavender. So many plants react well to being cut back to improve them. Almost all herbs benefit from it and a huge amount of perennial plants too. One good way to tell is that if you have a plant that is looking a bit straggly and has what appears to be "dead growth" take a look in the center of the plant. If the plant is putting out fresh growth and new shoots from the stems it will almost certainly like being cut back
Step 2
Now you have found your plant it's time to start cutting the plant back. REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE! Once you have cut a stem off your plant, you can't put it back. Because of this, we like to take it slow and steady. That is the main reason this 5-minute video is longer than 5 minutes. What we like to do on the nursery is select the part of the plant that we think should be cut off and pull it to one side. By doing this you are checking the plant still looks right after you have cut the stem off. It is well worth checking the video out for this step.
Step 3
This step is the same as step 2. When cutting back plants you work your way around the plant cutting the stems back as you go. Remember to take your time.
Step 4
Once you have cut the plant back to the shape and height you are happy with if your plant it in a pot it is time to repot it with some fresh compost. Don't be tempted to choose a pot that is much larger. Go for one that is just a little bit bigger but will still allow your plants to spread their roots a bit into the fresh compost.
Step 5
Take your plant out of its current pot. If the plant has been in there for a bit of time it can be tricky. Plastic pots are easier as you can squeeze them and release the plant. If your plant is in a clay pot sometimes sliding something down the side of the pot can help.
Step 6
When your plant is in the new pot you want it to sit around the same height in the pot as it was in the old pot. To do this first put the right amount of compost in the base of the pot to get your height right. This can take a bit of lifting in and out but you will get there.
Step 7
Now, all that is left is to add some fresh compost around the sides of the plant, Take care not to compact the compost down too much. When you think you have finished this is a good time to water the plant. At this stage, it is quite common for the fresh compost to sink a bit. If that happens just top it up a bit.
You're done.
It is amazing how much a plant with thank you for a cutback and some fresh soil and it's always nice to get your hands dirty.
Take care and stay safe.
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our Third 5 Minute Friday
Thank you to everyone who got in contact and really got into the spirit of last week's video about collecting seeds. I always like to hear from you and it was great to make contact. :p
This week I want you to take some cuttings.
This is another great one to make use of something you already have. I use a mint plant in the video below but it does not have to be. I have plenty of mints to hand and I know they are nice and simple to take cuttings from. But there are loads of plants you can take cuttings from so just give it a go.
Okay let’s start
What you need:
Step 1
First, fill the pot you are using with the compost/soil. I fill it almost all the way to the top but leave a bit of a gap from the top as this will help you water after you have finish. Once the soil is added tap the base of the pot down slightly which will just make sure the soil has settled. This will often make the soil sink if this happens just top the soil up.
Step 2
Now we need to take the cutting. I am looking for a nice “soft” cutting. What I mean by that is a stem and part of the plant that has some good new and young growth. When you take this type of cutting it can really help if the growth is new, the cutting is likely to be more successful. Once I have found that its time to take the cutting. In one hand hold the tip of the stem that you are using and with the other hand you are looking to cut the stem below the top few leaves. This will leave you with a cutting that has one or two sets of leaves and some stem which we are going to put in the compost.
Step 3
Now make a small hole in the compost and put the stem into the compost. In the video, I use the tip of the scissors but you can use a pencil, stick or even your finger. Gently tuck the compost around the stem so it allows the plant to stand up but don’t be too rough. If it was me I would repeat the process several times, this can be done in the same pot if it is big enough or in a separate pot.
Step 4
All that is left to do is water the cutting and place it in a nice warm spot with a good lot of light. Ideal not full sun, especially in the very bright midday sun.
The length of time this plant starts to root will vary so much on what you have picked to take the cutting. The mint I took in the video will start to show roots in around about 2 weeks but there are also plants on the nursery which take a few months. When the plant starts to show signs of new growth it should be starting to root. At this point, you still have to be a bit careful with it but you are well on your way to a brand new plant... YAY!
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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Good Morning Everyone and welcome to our second 5 Minute Friday
I hope you're keeping yourself entertained in this isolation, if not then hopefully this video might help :p
This week take some advantage of something you already have.
We are looking at what you can find in your home, fridge, or cupboard that you can use to sow.
A perfect example would be chillies, and that is what we are using today.
Oh, if you haven’t seen our recent blog 'What happens to our body and why do we love it?’ then head on to our website or follow this link HERE It is an interesting topic, definitely worth a look if you're a spice lover like me.
Okay let’s start
What you need:
Step 1
Okay, we have a volunteer chilli to be sacrificed. We need to extract the seed of the Chilli so the first thing I'll do is cut the top off and cut it through the middle. Inside, there will be some seeds so scrape them out onto a kitchen roll (I wouldn’t recommend toilet rolls as they are in high demand and worth more than gold now). A good thing is that you can keep the flesh of the chilli to use then in your cooking. The seeds can also be used in cooking too as that’s where the heat comes from, but that’s for another video.
Step 2
Spread the seeds out and wait for them dry. To speed up the process, you can place them on the window sill or on a radiator. I wouldn’t recommend putting it in an oven though. For this video, we're not going to wait and will move onto the next step
Step 3
Put your soil in the pot, add the soil in and leave it just a bit from the top. A fingers depth from the top of the pot is ideal. Now you need to gently tap the pot down. We are looking to get any air pockets out which will mean that the soil will sink a lot when we water it.
Step 4
Add your seed or grab a few and sprinkle it on the top of the soil. In the video, I’ve added 3 seeds and hopefully, they all germinate.
Step 5
Cover the seeds with some more soil. Not too deep just a light covering will do the job. Do not push the soil down.
Step 6
Water the plants. You almost can't overwater at this stage make sure there is a nice lot of moisture in the soil. If you're in a particularly dry house, stick a polythene bag over it to help.
Step 7
As with most plants, your chilli will want to be in a nice and warm spot. Ideal temperatures would be around 25-26 degrees for them to start growing. Most homes in the UK are in this region of temperature so a windowsill, warm room or airing cupboard are ideal places.
Step 8
Sit back and wait. Remember to keep the soil nice and moist. You effectively earned yourself a free plant or free plants! Grab a beer if you can.
I hope you've enjoyed watching this video. You can use this step by step guide for other plants too such courgettes, tomatoes, sweet peppers and many others. You don’t have to use a plant pot, but your entire garden can be used as well.
Stay tuned for our next episode uploaded every Friday and stay safe!
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery
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We are really excited about this and looking forward to the up and coming 5 minutes. This week we are sowing coriander... I love coriander and it really does benefit from being sown regularly.
]]>Welcome to our first 5 Minute Friday!
We are really excited about this and looking forward to the up and coming 5 minutes.
This week we are sowing coriander
I love coriander and it really does benefit from being sown regularly.
Plus...
It does not take long.
Less than 5 minutes as it happens (sorry my first five-minute video was way less than 5 minutes lol)
What you need
Step one.
You need a pot and let's be honest you don’t need a pot. Anything that will hold soil and will not fall apart as you water it will do. The pot I used in the video was a second-hand one we grew something in last year.
Step two.
Put your soil in the pot. Don’t pack it down, add the soil in and leave it just a bit from the top. A fingers depth from the top of the pot is ideal. Now you need to gently tap the pot down. We are looking to get any air pockets out which will mean that the soil will sink a lot when we water it.
Step three.
Add your seed we are just sprinkling it on the top of the soil. In the video, I used around 15-25 seeds. Try and spread them out as best you can so they do not grow to close to each other but don’t get too fussy either.
Step four.
Cover the seeds with some more soil. Not too deep just a light covering will do the job. Again, do not push the soil down.
Step five.
Water the plants. You almost can’t overwater at this stage make sure there is a nice lot of moisture in the soil.
Step six.
Your coriander will want to be in a nice and warm spot. Ideally, we are looking for around 20-22 degrees for them to start growing. Most homes in the UK are in this region of temperature so a windowsill or warm room is ideal.
Step seven.
Sit back and wait. Your coriander will start coming through the soil in around about 1-2 weeks and you should be starting to crop the coriander in around about 5-6 weeks.
Step eight.
For some of you, there may not be a step eight but if it was me I would sow coriander every week. This will give you a constant supply of lovely tasting and fragrant coriander.
Alan Lodge
Partner, Newlands Nursery