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Good starter variety, compact?

patrad

patrad

Hi all, I'm just getting started indoors (I usually always grow out, but I'm getting antsy this winter).  I don't have much room and I am thinking right now about just a small grow container with 4 CFLs and using coco coir.  Any suggestions on a hardy, small compact variety to start with?  I make hot sauce but I'm not aiming for the top of the scale usually. . . thanks!
 
Just starting out myself so im sure there are many better candidates, but I have one thai chilli plant that is barely 30cm tall with about 30 pods on it. It was the first plant to get ripe pods and seems to be having no troubles pumping out pods despite my other chillis struggling for various other reasons. I would be happy to grow that inside because it has a very good pod/plant size ratio.
 
You can trim just about any variety into being compact.  But if you want something that naturally grows compact, and produces well, you'd be looking at a frutescens of some sort.  Some safe recommendations would be tabasco and thai.  Both are easily procured.
 
solid7 said:
You can trim just about any variety into being compact.  But if you want something that naturally grows compact, and produces well, you'd be looking at a frutescens of some sort.  Some safe recommendations would be tabasco and thai.  Both are easily procured.
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I'll second fructescens, but also add certain varieties of baccatums I've had good luck with in very small containers, in conditions far worse than yours.
 
For me, Aji omnicolor and Criolla sella have been great. The former having a better flavor, IMO, than the latter. Not sure how you'll feel about the sugar levels of those, though. I find baccatums are a love it/hate it for a lot of folks. I'm in the love it camp.
 
White bullet habs would be a good choice. I grew them one year and the bush was about eighteen inches tall max and maybe eight inches wide at its largest. There are mixed thoughts about its flavor though. I liked it, especially mixed with Thai peppers in a simple hot sauce. (It got hit hard with aphids while overwintering and didn't survive transplant. I'm going to grow it again this year.)
 
Most, if not all, of the frutescens varieties are easy to grow and compact. I grow a couple different Thai varieties because I cook a fair amount of Thai food. At least the Thai peppers are pungent so know what you're getting yourself into with them. 
 
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