Grower’s Corner – Chillies, peppers and aubergines
Chillies and peppers
Increasingly, as micro-climates are created in our towns and climate change alters our macro-climate, these formerly Mediterranean crops become suitable for growbags and pots, either in the greenhouse or conservatory, or even outdoors in the mildest parts of the country.
Sow seed under glass in early April, and be patient as germination may be slow. Plants can’t be hardened off until late May or early June and take about two weeks to ensure the plants are fully acclimatised. When planting out, you need to give chillies and peppers a well-drained, fertile and moisture-retentive soil in good sun. Plants should be sent around eighteen inches apart, or just a foot for the dwarf peppers. They will need to be covered with fleece or cloches to provide wind protection and the extra warmth needed for good crops through until early July.
Peppers should naturally branch into two or more stems with a flower bud at the joint but if they don’t, you need to pinch out the stem tips when they reach around a foot in length. For a maximum crop yield you should pick fruits when they are ready to encourage more fruits to develop. Left on the plants, fruits will change colour and develop a sweeter flavour (or a hotter one if they are chillies) but this can reduce yield by as much as a quarter. For both crops, you need to water little and often to keep the soil evenly moist, avoiding waterlogging and drought. To get fully formed fruit it’s also important to feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser once a week.
These are plants that will tolerate (but not enjoy) a minimum night temperature of 12°C but will thrive at 15°C. You’ll need to stake high yielding plants as they become top heavy and the stems snap under the weight and any that are set in growbags.
Aubergines
Although aubergines can increasingly be grown outside in mild areas, to do well they do need a very good summer. For more reliable production, you will need to grown them in a greenhouse or growing frame.
For greenhouse cultivation you should sow seed in January in a heated greenhouse or February in an unheated one. For outdoor cultivation you should warm the soil with fleece for a week before sowing in March and keep under cloches.
Transfer plants to nine inch pots of good compost in April (heated greenhouse) or early May (unheated greenhouse) or the as late as early June if growing outdoors. Again, warm outdoor soils with fleece or cloches two weeks before planting out and keep young plants covered with cloches or frames for a further two weeks. As with peppers and chillies, you need to pinch out the main tip when the plants are around a foot tall.
To set fruit, aubergines need to be watered regularly and fed with a high potash liquid fertiliser once the first fruit has set. In addition to watering, it’s a good idea if growing in the greenhouse, to mist the foliage regularly with tepid water to discourage red spider mite and to help set fruit. Once about six fruits have set, you need to be ruthless about pinching off other flowers as the plants are unlikely to be able to support any more fruit unless they are special varieties producing miniature or bell fruits, in which case follow packet instructions.
Pests
If growing in a greenhouse, check peppers, chillies and aubergines plants for aphids and whitefly and aubergines for red spider mite. Keep the greenhouse damp with buckets of water which will keep red spider mite under control, and use soapy water to wash them off the aubergine plants and staging.
Chilli and aubergine flower photographs by adactio and cattypumkinhead, used under a creative commons attribution licence