Growing Chillies

What makes chillies hot is what is called the capsaicin - a chemical contained within the chilli. Most of the capsaicin is contained in the seeds and white ribs inside the chilli - when you remove these it will reduce the heat of the fruit. The more capsaicin chilli contains, the hotter it will be. Chillies are then rated on a heat scale known as the Scoville Scale, the higher the Scoville rating - the hotter the chilli! Ended up with too many chillies this growing season? Dry or freeze while fresh for year-round fresh chilli.

Always use gloves to handle chillies and avoid rubbing your eyes. Wash hand thoroughly when complete and do not eat the seeds or feed to animals.

Arapeho Cayenne Chilli
These are the easier chillies - with a medium heat this variety is suited to NZs shorter growing season. Once Peppers are 10-12cm long, they should easily pull from the plant. The hottest part of this Chilli is the seeds and the pith around the seeds.

How to sow?
Choose a well drained site in full sun. Sow these seeds direct where to grow in a warm, well prepared seedbed. Sow seeds thinly, 5cm apart, in rows 50cm apart and cover to a depth of 2mm.

Care for seeding
Keep seedbed evenly moist during the germination period of 14-21 days. Apply McGregors FruitMax 2 weeks after germination for healthier plants and a maximum flowering. Protect your flower garden from snails & slugs with McGregor's Snail & Slug bait and from White Butterfly with McGregor'sDerris Dust.