The 2010 Attempt!

So...this year I am growing 6 different varieties of chilli which I purchased from the famous South Devon Chilli Farm www.sdcf.co.uk
This year I'm trying Paper Lantern Habaneros, Long Slim Cayennes, 'Senor' Serranos, Joes Longs, Hot Chocolate Habaneros and the famous Bhut Jolokia. The South Devon mob provided at least 20 seeds of each type, except for the Bhut Jolokias which come in packs of 10.
I searched long and hard for the best methods of propagation, and plunked for the advice given by the Chilli King on his website www.thechilliking.com/Growing

I used common kitchen roll and dampened a sheet under the warm tap, placing the seeds in the middle and folding over. Then I placed each type in a sealed freezer bag (well actually a resealable sandwich bag!) and placed in the airing cupboard next to the boiler. The Chilli King reckons the seeds should swell and even sprout within 2-5 days. Fingers crossed!

In the beginning....

For the past few years I have been a keen grower (or not) of chilli plants...the hotter the better. I seemed to spend a lot of time on the web searching for better ways of improving my somewhat amateurish growing techniques, and was forever beset with dealing with the problems of propagation, greenfly, pollination, and the rubbish UK climate! Not to mention an irate mother-in-law who had to put up with 120 chilli plants covering the floor of her conservatory whilst I was away! Hence, this year I have decided to record my growing exploits in a blog, and if I start to stray from the correct path, maybe some of you can kick my ass back into line. I'm using a variety of sites and recommendations to get my plants going this year and will let you know how successful each method is, and maybe you can share some of your successes (or failings) here too