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Why do you grow chilli peppers?

megamoo

megamoo

I realised the other day that I obsess over growing chilli peppers because I suck at it. If it was as easy as growing basil or tomatoes then I'd still do it but not obsess like a freak!

Why do others on this forum grow?
 
I'm not obsess with growing chiles. I'm obsess with growing, period. I just love chiles and because of that, grow them.
 
When i was young i loved Pepper Steak.

Then i met Neil.

edit: Bentalphanerd. It would be a crime not to mention that mad hatter.
He fed me lava pods of death on cheese and cracker. zfuzvck.
 
because i love to eat them, think there beautiful, can grow a better selection than an be found in the store

thanks your friend Joe
 
hmmm good replies

I was kind of hoping someone would say "yeah I suck at growing chillies too. It's really hard!" :rolleyes:
 
i just think seeing pods of all diffrent colours and shapes hanging of chilli plants looks great , i am only kinda new to chillis the last 2 seasons ,
but love them just like i love to grow tomatos.
 
ajijoe said:
can grow a better selection than an be found in the store
Click to expand...

Here is a list of all the peppers I have ever found for sale around here including farmers markets and ethnic stores and such:

Jalapenos (that taste like green bells)
Orange Habs (that are sometimes decent, but usually absolute crap)
Serranos (that are usually shriveled and never ripe)
Thais (that rarely look good)
Fresnos (That are hard to find and rarely fresh)

THAT is why I started growing my own. Of course I enjoy it, and it is a challenging and rewarding hobby.


edit: I almost forgot about little packages of fake Bhuts that look like runty little Caribbean Reds that are probably black and moldy on the inside.
 
I love spicy food. There are so many varieties to grow and try out for chillis. Harvest is fast compare to many fruit trees. Can be grown well in pots thus have the flexibility of growing indoor and outdoors and less space requirement. Obviously I enjoy gardening. Not many varieties available at local markets thus my focus in on varieties that cannot be purchase locally.

Mark T
 
It all began back when I was a little fella. Can't remember how it all started but I used to flog the seeds from veges as mum was cutting them up and go plonk them in the garden. Back then though, my favourite thing to grow was pumpkins. Nothing better than a great big pumpkin vine taking over the yard! Of course, eventually I discovered sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and that was the end of that. I didn't actually start gardening again until a few years back—and the reason was chillies! I guess I was sick of "red" chillies and "birds eye" chillies—all we can get at the bloody shops here—and wanted more!

My love for chillies? Weeell, that all began back when I was a little fella as well. Already having established my fondness for gardening, I was around my great aunt's house looking in her vegie patch when I was told I could eat of any tree except for the tree of chilli. You can't do that to a curious child. I think I waited hours before I had the chance to grab one but needless to say, eventually I *did* and I ate it and it burnt like hell.... but strangely, I loved it!

My grandma was a big fan of chilli too—used to put it in everything—so I reckon I must have inherited her chilli-lovin' genes or something. It's funny 'cause the rest of the family hate hot food. It was always just me and grandmama.
 
When I started growing, I had a specific purpose in mind...I wanted to create the "perfect burn"...which to me is from lips to down the throat and all areas in between...but not so much as to be too hot to eat...I want to make my own chili powder...for my own chili....

Each variety of capsicum burns the mouth/palate in a different place and has a different "burn" to them...some harsh, some mellow, some building, some immediate...

The reason for these differences is the different capsaicinoids...each capsaicinoid burns differently...some burn the same...sooooo....through research and growing bunches of different varieties....drying those varieties and grinding them...then mixing specific amounts of the different powders, I can create the "perfect" burn...I am almost there but not quite....it may take me the rest of my lifetime, but eventually, I WILL create the perfect burn for ME....
 
My first encounter with superhots was 2+ years ago and overwhelmed with pleasure. Last year I started with 150 plants with some producing pretty descent yields. This season I grew 500 plants and improved my growing methods 10 fold over last season. The yields went through the roof and built up my golden stash of pods/flakes to last for years to come!! Food is so exciting to eat now that I can’t imagine living without my superhots!!
 
My grandfather was a farmer and I have soil in my blood. Growing up I always had something growing. Not huge amounts like this season that is ending. Still working on the finesse needed for peppers. I love learning so this fills that desire too. Also, I enjoy pain that I control or invite upon myself for pleasure's sake. Nothing like chewing on a superhot for 5 minutes or so while leaning back in a chair with eyes closed and letting the endorphins rush over you.
 
I like growing things that are weird that I like to eat... Hence why I started with cacti, and have ended up at sillypeppers! I'd also like to market a sauce and alike one day, so that's another factor! And yeah... I suck at them for some reason.
 
Growing chilli's or just about anything, its always been a challange to get an early start outdoors and continue to a late finish in the year...
I recall years back having tomato plants in the ground in early april and the vegatable garden finished in early November...
Nowadays...it seems like I'm hardening off the plants in early May before the final planting.
Its to the point now that I really get a jump on it with the indoor grow, there's usually flowers on most plants, and alot have pods on before their brought out,
Last year I had a 2ft. tall "Assam Bhut" plant in a 3gal container,the plant was very dense with foliage, I'll give that credit to my MH lighting, it had about 15 pods on it, I'd take that with me to some of the garden/shows as an example, alot of people wanted to buy that one but I needed to keep it around through the spring sales.
I ended up keeping it, :) the plant made several trips , kinda felt like it was part of the "Fam"...
That plant is still producing and will get the overwinter process...

Why do I grow chillis ?.....
 
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