harvesting First Ever Harvest Probs UK (and other stuff)!

[sneaksby]

Hi! this is the first year i have had anywhere to grow anything so naturally i decided i wanted to grow myself some good chili's and make some hot sauce!

At this point i also should point out this is the first time i have grown anything, ever!
Also i am a terrible photographer.

I am growing these in the conservatory at the front of my house as this gets loads of sun and is pretty much a greenhouse.

Initially i was sent an envelope full of Choc Hab seeds by a friend, though it was late in the season and out of these i only got one plant which currently looks like this

Given that this year in England we have had one of the worst Summers in decades, i definitely cant see this plant doing much more and am wondering if it looks good for overwintering?

So come the beginning of June i realized i need to kick start the whole show and brought one Habanero plant from a Garden Shop.

I wanted more so 2 weeks later i brought 2 Dorset Naga plants online and these seemed to do well at first but are yet to fruit.

(i have 2x of these pretty much identical, apologies for poor angle of photo)

I have picked some of the fruit from the Habanero and have them in an envelope to try and ripen as im hoping this will give the rest of the fruit on the plant a bit more focus.

I am also hoping to at least get some fruit off of the Naga's before overwintering them.



Any Good Advice Or Criticism Gratefully Received!

 

[kentishman]

All your plants look healthy. With a conservatory, you should be able to overwinter them. Just be careful of aphids. There has been plenty of information posted on THP about overwintering. Good luck! Tom

 

[sneaksby]

All your plants look healthy. With a conservatory, you should be able to overwinter them. Just be careful of aphids. There has been plenty of information posted on THP about overwintering. Good luck! Tom

Thanks, that has put my mind at rest a lot, ill keep cracking on as i am then.
One last question, is it right to pick them at this stage, i have stored them in an envelop in a cool dry place hoping they will ripen and color. Is this the right way to do this and how long should i give them to ripen?

Again many thanks,

 

[kentishman]

Everything I read indicates that chiles that have ripened from green to their final color (red, yellow, etc.) have a better flavor and heat level. So, I prefer to leave them on the plant. Storing them the way you describe sounds reasonable.

 

[sneaksby]

Everything I read indicates that chiles that have ripened from green to their final color (red, yellow, etc.) have a better flavor and heat level. So, I prefer to leave them on the plant. Storing them the way you describe sounds reasonable.

Thanks, before i go does your name 'kentishman' have any connection to the County Kent in England?

 

[kentishman]

You've got it! I grew up in Maidstone a mile north of the River Medway, so I'm a Kentishman as opposed to a Man of Kent.

 

[sneaksby]

You've got it! I grew up in Maidstone a mile north of the River Medway, so I'm a Kentishman as opposed to a Man of Kent.

Wow! I go to Maidstone a fair amount as have a friend there, i live in Brighton now but actually grew up in Robertsbridge right on the Kent Sussex border quite near Hawkhurst!

Small world as they say

 

[kentishman]

There are some great pubs on the Kent/Sussex border. My best job ever when I was a student was working for Whitbreads delivering beer to pubs around Kent and Sussex. Typically, the landlord would offer a beer when the job was done, and the milkround, as it was called, involved going to about a dozen pubs in your area. Mind you, this was back in the 1960s when drinking and driving wasn't a problem.

 

[sneaksby]

There are some great pubs on the Kent/Sussex border. My best job ever when I was a student was working for Whitbreads delivering beer to pubs around Kent and Sussex. Typically, the landlord would offer a beer when the job was done, and the milkround, as it was called, involved going to about a dozen pubs in your area. Mind you, this was back in the 1960s when drinking and driving wasn't a problem.

I know a few good pubs in the area for sure. Im 30 and settling down but used to run a few pubs, one in Oxford in particular the Drayman used to be at ours for 5am and being woken up to the sound of empty barrels being rolled around the building was the sign to get up and out there to do a bit of serious lifting.
Coincidentally the village i grew up in Robertsbridge was where a lot of the Whitbread hops were grown and my family on my dads side were involved in the picking of the hops probably back when you were delivering the finished product!

 

[kentishman]

This all brings back some good memories. But back to the chiles -- send me a PM if you need some seeds. I've only been growing this year, but the good folks here helped me out and I'd like to pay back.

 

[sneaksby]

This all brings back some good memories. But back to the chiles -- send me a PM if you need some seeds. I've only been growing this year, but the good folks here helped me out and I'd like to pay back.

Wow thats really kind of you, id love some!