Possible a few silly questions from someone new to growing chillis.

Sminky

Sminky

Hey all
 
I've recently got into growing chilli plants I wonder if anyone could answer a few questions I can't find the answer to online. I'm based in London UK.
 
I'm growing Caynenes, I wonder how long do the Chilli peppers 'live' on the plant for?
 
Also I planted rather late in season from seed at the start of May, I have quite a few healthy peppers on the plant, some have been there for a while yet they seem to be refusing to mature and turn red.
 
Is there anyway to encourage maturity.
 
I've now brought the plant inside by a window as this time of year the UK starts to get rather cold and rainy.
 
Here's a pic of the plant
 
 
https://ibb.co/gsF98U
Thanks for any advice.
 
Sminky said:
Hey all
 
I've recently got into growing chilli plants I wonder if anyone could answer a few questions I can't find the answer to online. I'm based in London UK.
 
I'm growing Caynenes, I wonder how long do the Chilli peppers 'live' on the plant for?
 
Also I planted rather late in season from seed at the start of May, I have quite a few healthy peppers on the plant, some have been there for a while yet they seem to be refusing to mature and turn red.
 
Is there anyway to encourage maturity.
 
I've now brought the plant inside by a window as this time of year the UK starts to get rather cold and rainy.
 
Here's a pic of the plant
 
 
https://ibb.co/gsF98U
Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
Some people, including myself, would prefer to have the cayennes ripen to their full ripeness (ie. bright red). However, some peppers are picked almost exclusively green like jalapenos. It all depends on what you're using them for and flavour preferences.

Fruit maturity just takes time, so long as the plant remains comfortable in its spot, the fruit will ripen.

Thawing the frozen north one chili at a time...
 
CanadaChili said:
Some people, including myself, would prefer to have the cayennes ripen to their full ripeness (ie. bright red). However, some peppers are picked almost exclusively green like jalapenos. It all depends on what you're using them for and flavour preferences.

Fruit maturity just takes time, so long as the plant remains comfortable in its spot, the fruit will ripen.

Thawing the frozen north one chili at a time...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the responce.
 
So as long as the plant is healthy as in full green perky leaves then the fruit will not go bad whilst still attached?
 
 
Sminky said:
 
Thanks for the responce.
 
So as long as the plant is healthy as in full green perky leaves then the fruit will not go bad whilst still attached?
 
Click to expand...
Well, sometimes bigger, faster-growing fruit like bells may contract something called blossom end rot (BER), which is a result of a calcium deficiency in combination with watering issues. But seeing how you're growing cayenne they are, at least in my experience, less likely to develop that condition.

Another thing to watch for is the fruit itself can actually develop a sunburn if exposed to intense sunlight, but considering you're heading into fall that's also unlikely to happen.

Happy growing. Cheers [emoji892]️[emoji482]

Thawing the frozen north one chili at a time...
 
You're up north of typical pepper territory just like I am and have somewhat similar weather patterns. From growing down south and here in the pacific northwest both, my experience is that peppers tend to ripen more slowly under our conditions than in hotter areas, sometimes a lot slower.
 
When the weather turns I'll take certain plants with good but unripe peppers inside and put them in front of a big south-facing window, just like you did until they ripen - just have to watch out for aphids and other pests coming along for the ride because there are no natural predators inside and they'll get out of control fast if you don't catch them early. Sometimes I'll even supplement with artificial lighting which boosts the heat too. The peppers are fine hanging on the plants until they ripen under decent conditions, but if the plants are in cold wet conditions you can have problems with them softening before they ripen.
 
Yep, May is a late start. I think Feb is good, but March at the latest. 
 
By the way, your Caynenes look great. Should just be a matter of time.  If you're concerned about them going bad you can always squeeze the peppers very lightly and they should be firm.  If they start softening or getting squishy you've got an issue.
 
Thank you both, what you have shared is very useffull. Fortuantly all the Chillis are still hard and 'waxey' so i guess it's now a waiting game :)
 
Sminky said:
Thank you both, what you have shared is very useffull. Fortuantly all the Chillis are still hard and 'waxey' so i guess it's now a waiting game :)
Click to expand...
 
Your patience will be rewarded. I'm a month and half from first pods set and still waiting for any sign of color on them, but they will turn. They always do.
 
 
I'm curious about what makes people want to grow peppers that are cheap and available at most grocery stores all year. I've yet to grow anything so I'm quite uninformed.
 
Ghaleon said:
I'm curious about what makes people want to grow peppers that are cheap and available at most grocery stores all year. I've yet to grow anything so I'm quite uninformed.
Click to expand...
 
For me (and this is my first time) i was given the seeds as kind of a Joke as i use Cayenne pepper poweder in a lot fo my seasonings. But i thought i'd plant them not giving them much thought.
 
I found i enjoyed watching them grow and devlop, and then got quite into the science and technique of it. Part of me is also hopping the freshness will improve flavour.
 
It's defiently not cost effective for just food by any means.
 
Saying that at the start of next season i'm going to try and grow chilli types which you can't easily buy fresh here (Scoth Bonnets, Fressno's, Pimento) and even try my hand at cross pollination for new strains.
 
TLDR: It's quite satisfying watching them grow, knowing that it's resonble easy for them to fail.
 
If you've never had 'em, you are going to love Scotch Bonnets, man. I'm out to try any type of them I can get my hands on! I cut up a TFM SB into some chili last night and it's delicious.
 
Ghaleon said:
I'm curious about what makes people want to grow peppers that are cheap and available at most grocery stores all year. I've yet to grow anything so I'm quite uninformed.
Click to expand...
 
1) Nothing from the store compares to walking outside, cutting a pepper off the plant, and eating it as fresh as can be.
 
2) We also pickle our own and they too not only taste better than anything that can be bought from the store but we know exactly went into the jar.
 
3) It's just plain fun.
 
:)
 
My experience with cayenne peppers they will get purple or brown from direct sunshine. No worries though they will turn ripe red. No worries [emoji6]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Ghaleon said:
I've yet to grow anything so I'm quite uninformed.
Click to expand...
Ghaleon said:
If you've never had 'em, you are going to love Scotch Bonnets, man. I'm out to try any type of them I can get my hands on! I cut up a TFM SB into some chili last night and it's delicious.
Click to expand...
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If you've never grown, where'd you get TFM SB's from (Not available from my local supermarket...see below.)? If bought, where from? I'm looking for some SB's this year...
 
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Lawrenceproduce.com

Our own TrentL is responsible. That giant 2018 The Farm thread. I usually use PBM, but I got impatient. I've never seen AJ offer Bonnets in SFRBs. I'm still checking his site regularly and waiting for things to catch up. I'll definitely be buying from him later as well.
 
Well done. Have you shown them to the jokester who gave you the seeds? I might add you can hasten peppers ripening by late season pruning. Removing upper leaves and new flowers or pods that wont have time to finish; this allows the plant to direct all of its assimilates to the mature fruit.
 
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