How to grow chillies in containers – Part 1

Chillies – Part 1

Steve Waters of South Devon Chilli Farm grows more than 170 varieties of chilli, and harvests over 100 kg of chillies a day. Most of these chillies are used in his kitchen on the farm to cook a huge range of chilli based foods sold in shops throughout the UK – everything from chilli chocolates to a range of different chilli sauces.

In Part 1, Steve shares his knowledge of the best chillies to grow (for beauty, flavour and heat), tips on how to grow the different varieties, and his experience of how to dry and cook with chillies in the kitchen. As well as a few health tips, too. Seeds of most of the varieties talked about in the videos are available online from the South Devon Chilli Farm.

See Part 2 for tips on how to grow chillies.

Fresh, dry or frozen?

Video time: 5.51

Steve’s chilli show tunnel with 170 chilli varieties!
How to get the best flavour from chillies: dry, fresh or frozen?

How to dry and preserve chillies

Video time: 4.26

Why some chillies dry better than others.
Ways to dry chillies.
Smoking chillies
Preserving chillies in honey.
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Which chillies to grow?

Video time: 4.33

Are some chillies harder to grow than others?
Hybrid vs. open pollinated types
The five main species of chillies
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The most beautiful chillies

Video time: 9.23

Some chillies look fantastic as well as producing hundreds of small chillies for your kitchen. Steve shares his favourites and other chilli tips along the way.

.15 Twilight

1.28 Apache F1 + where is the heat in chillies + why chillies on the same plant vary in heat?

4.10 Loco

4.36 Purple Princess + how to overwinter chillies + is it best to grow as annual or perennial?

8.00 Demon Red (good for outside)

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The best chillies for flavour

Video time: 19.22

.10 Aji Lemon (aka Lemon Drop) and Aji Red – citrussy flavoured, from Peru. High yielding, easy to grow.

2.45 Jalapeno + how to pick for higher yields + can you dry green chillies?

8.45 Fatali – a hotter, habanero type + how to use hotter chillies cooking.

12.20 Serrano

13.48 Corno di Toro – great flavoured pepper (not hot).

15.50 Hungarian hot wax – heavy cropping, milder chilli + tip for growing bigger chilli plants.

19.00 Ring of Fire

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Super hot chillies!

Video time: 9.17

.50 Bhut jolokia

2.09 Black Naga

2.50 Ways to use very hot chillies

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Health benefits of chillies

Video time: 3.56

High in vitamins C and A chillies are good for you, too.

Plus: why you should eat chillies on your morning muesli!!

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