Chillies are a great crop for beginners. They are really prolific, can be grown in pots and will even grow well indoors, providing they receive plenty of sunshine. I find that 2 plants of my favourite variety “basket of fire” give me enough chillies to last us a year in the freezer. 🌶️ Chillies like it hot but they need a long growing season. Because they need to be sown early, it’s best to sow them indoors and keep them inside until the weather warms up and all risk of frost has passed. We sow our chilli seeds in mid-February. 🌶️ Seeds are sown 0.5cm deep. 🌶️ They need warmth to germinate - a soil temperature of 21C is ideal. To get that kind of temperature at this time of year, put your seed trays on a heated mat or above a radiator. 🌶️ Chillies like rich, well drained soil. I use a mix of one part homemade sieved compost, one part grit and one part coir. 🌶️ Once germinated, chillies need plenty of warmth and light to grow into strong plants so keep plants in a sunny spot in the house. 🌶️ Plants can go outside when the weather warms up. I usually wait until temperatures are consistently staying above 10C at night. When you put them out, a greenhouse or sheltered sunny spot is ideal. 🌶️ The compound that makes chillies hot is called capsaicin. The amount of capsaicin present in chillies depends on a number of things. Most importantly, the variety of chilli will determine the heat level. The heat of chillies is measured on the Scoville Scale and varies greatly. Make sure you choose a chilli with appropriate heat levels! #chillies #selfsufficient #gyo #growyourown #growyourownfood #homestead #smallholding #garden #lovegardening #kitchengarden #veggarden #plants #igrewthis #ediblegarden #gardendesign #spreadsheets - @jess_happy_smallholding