Even my hopeless gardening skills couldn't stop this plant producing! (Chili)

Member Name: k4ssie

Product:	Chili
Date:	30/05/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to grow, convenient supply of chillis

Disadvantages: None really. not frostproof, but, er, they're not exactly native so what d'you expect!

I have to start this review by 'fessing up to being possibly the least green fingered person on the planent. Frankly, i could kill weeds, but only of course if i was trying not to.
For the last few years i've been growing just a handful of plant types in my garden that i know will be trouble free, and as that seemed to be going OK I thought i'd attempt something edible. A chilli plant was my first experiment, chosen because it irritates me that i end up throwing away most of every packet I buy in the supermarket, because they're a vital ingredient if called for, but I don't have the asbestos throat for large quantities. If i can get a plant going, i thought, that would provide me with a supply of just one or two chillis a week, just perfect.

So, i got a small single seedling from the garden centre (previous experiences with growing anything from seed having left me grumpier than Bagpuss in a hailstorm). I think it cost about 99p. As usual, the label in the pot gave minimal guidance - a sunny spot, regular watering etc. Luckily for me, the lady on the till was obviously an old hand at these plants and gave me a good tip - apparently you shouldn't plant it into a bigger pot until the first flower has appeared, that way the plant grows more vigorously.

I don't know how crucial that was, but i followed her advice and was very pleased with the results. The chilli plant went in the most sheltered and suntrap part of my garden, and just got regular water until a couple of small white flowers appeared. Then i potted on into a larger pot, and just kept an eye on it for watering. I wouldn't say these things are the fastest growers - it must have been a month or six weeks before fruits started to form - but eventually they did, and the plant kept me nicely supplied all summer. I think the variety was "Apache", which gave quite mild chilis, perfect for heat wusses like myself.

The plant won't survive past the first frost, and was starting to look a bit sorry for itself before that. I believe that you can keep them going quite well as a house plant if taken inside, which i intend to try this year.

The money side stacks up too - one plant at 99p saved me buying probably 10 packs of chillis at a similar amount - so a good option for those who're gardening mainly to save the pennies.

Summary: Great first step into edible gardening