Pot to Plate: Chillies - the ultimate container crop?
Enjoy the unparalleled flavour of homegrown chillies - and never buy them from the supermarket again.
In Pot to Plate we grow a selection of the best crops for containers, share our experiences as we grow them, and then exchange simple and creative ways to use our harvests in the kitchen.
First up is chillies. Chillies play a starring role in the edible container garden. In my view, absolutely essential to grow…. if you love chillies!
In truth, they are a bit harder to grow than the other plants in our Pot to Plate this year. But not too difficult, even for beginners - as long as you are lucky enough to have a balcony or patio that gets at least six hours sun. If you don’t have a warm, sunny growing space don’t worry: we’ll be growing lots of other things that need less sun as the year goes on.
The flavour of the best home grown varieties is in a different league from the insipid green and red things the supermarkets sell. Homegrown chillies are also versatile, easy to preserve, and lift almost any dish they are added to. Hardly a day goes by in our household when we don’t eat them in some form - fresh off the plant, dried, frozen or in a homemade condiment like harissa. Even my kids (11 and 16) are becoming chilli converts.
As mentioned, the downside of chilli growing is that they need a warm, sunny place to thrive. Sadly, some balconies and patios are simply too shady. Also, in cooler regions, like here in the North of England, summers are too cold to grow them reliably outside. But in these cooler areas, you can still often grow them on a windowsill inside or, more productively, in a polytunnel or greenhouse (I’m extremely fortunate to now have my dream allotment and a polytunnel to grow chillies in!).
In warmer areas of the UK (including London and most of the South) and other warmer regions of the world, they will usually grow well outside in a sunny place, particularly if you choose a variety adapted to temperate climates.
Chillies, a Vertical Veg Guide
Paid subscribers can download my full ‘How to’ PDF guide below. This includes the best varieties for flavour, the easiest varieties to grow first, which varieties grow best in cooler areas, as well as tips on how to grow and care for them in containers.
This PDF guide is significantly longer than future Pot to Plate guides will typically be - simply because there are so many different chillies and there is a lot that needs saying about them!
But first, here are six reasons why chillies are such a fantastic choice to grow… just as long as you are lucky enough to have warm and sunny enough place to grow them.
Six Reasons to Grow Chillies in Containers
The flavour of the best home grown varieties is incomparable with any that are widely available in the shops. Nearly all home grown veg tastes better than their supermarket equivalents but chillies are in a different league. Some are much hotter, too!
There are over 4,000 varieties - with different flavour profiles, varying heat levels, and a range of colours (including yellow, purple, green, red and brown). Most are almost impossible to buy. You might grow a hot habanero, a heritage variety like Piment d’Espelette from France, or Chimayo, an old variety from New Mexico, described as: "sweet, earthy, and smoky, without being too hot”.
One plant will produce 25 to 100 or more chillies. Bearing in mind that you often only need half or quarter of a hotter chilli to transform a dish, the harvest from one plant can make a difference to many meals. With a few plants, you can become totally self sufficient in chillies and never buy them again!
They preserve easily and really well: dry, freeze, or make them into your favourite chilli condiment. It’s easy to enjoy the flavour of homegrown chillies all year round.
Top quality chillies, if you can find them, are expensive to buy.
It is easy to save your own chilli seeds to grow next year - and it is lovely to have seeds of your favourite varieties to swap and share.