Heat Up Your Windowsill With Chiles

When to Start: mid-spring
At Their Best: summer to fall
Time to Complete: 1 hour

Materials Needed:

• chili seeds
• 3-1/2" pots
• seed soil
• clear plastic bag

• larger pots
• multi-purpose soil
• small stakes
• tomato fertilizer

Sow Seed

Select seed to suit your taste — some are much hotter than others. You can also sow seed from dried chiles grown the previous year, but they may revert to a common type if you planted a named hybrid. In spring, fill small pots with moist seed soil. Place about two or three seeds on the surface and cover lightly with more soil. Water, label and place pots in a plastic bag. As soon as the seedlings appear, remove the bag.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Seedling Care

When 1 inch tall, separate seedlings into their own small pots and set on a sunny windowsill. Keep well watered. When they're about 8 inches tall, pot them on into larger containers.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Grow Them On

Pinch the growing tips out when the plants are 12 inches to encourage more shoots, and stake as necessary. Harden plants off if you plan to keep them outside. Feed weekly with tomato fertilizer when buds appear, and pick the fruit when green for a milder taste or leave until they're red hot.