Cooking with ingredients from your own garden is fun, tasty and environmentally friendly. It’s easily done with chilli pepper in pots and containers, even on a small balcony.
Care tips
- Place the chilli pepper plant in full sun in a sheltered spot.
- Protect the plant from wind.
- Regularly give the plant water with some plant food. The plants need watering every day, particularly when it’s hot.
- Regularly remove some leaves so that the light can reach the chilli peppers
- When the plant gets tall you can support it with canes, frames or mesh.
- Regular pinching out - removing sideshoots - ensures nice sturdy plants and chillis
Capsicum annuum, as the chilli pepper is known in Latin, is closely related to the sweet pepper. Both are members of the Solanaceae family, the nightshades, which also includes the potato. Many plants in this family are poisonous, but chilli peppers are extremely edible and very healthy.
You can plant chilli plants in containers, pots or beds. The plant then first produces white flowers, followed by the chilli peppers. You can buy some chilli pepper plants which already have some peppers on them, which makes things very easy. They’re climbers, but there are also bush forms or dwarf plants that are ideal for pots and containers.
Origin
The chilli pepper plant originates from India and Southeast Asia, but they also occur widely in South America. The small, fiery fruit are often called chillies. The red peppers are reminiscent of blood coral lucky amulets, and therefore symbolise happiness, health and prosperity.
Trivia
- Chilli peppers are said to provide protection against infidelity. If you place dried chilli peppers under your partner’s pillow, he or she will remain faithful to you.
