We Grow Our OwnWhat we grow, what we cook, what we eat …

This post is not so much about how to grow your own chillies, but what to do with your bountiful harvest of chillies!

Following on from my video blogs giving tips on how to get your chilli seeds to germinate, and also how to make sure they grow from tiny seedlings into big healthy chilli plants and how to pollinate your chilli plants so that they produce chillies, this video blog explains how to deal with the most common diseases and nasties that can try and harm your lovely chilli plants!

Following on from my video blogs giving tips on how to get your chilli seeds to germinate, and also how to make sure they grow from tiny seedlings into big healthy chilli plants, this video blog explains what to do when your chilli plants starts developing flowers. The flowers are crucial, as they turn into chillies when the flowers have been pollinated.

You’ll remember that last month, I gave you some tips about how to give your chilli seeds the best chance of germinating, and starting to grow into big healthy chilli plants.

With all the current publicity about Britain holding the world record for the hottest chilli, you might have been bitten by the bug, and decided that you want to start growing your own chillies.

This year has been a little weird so far. First we got an allotment, then the chickens, then I won the competition to be Wahaca’s Chilli Guru.

However, the weirdest thing of all is that I have made my first appearance on TV!

You may remember that recently I was lucky enough to win the competition run by Wahaca, the Mexican restaurant chain opened by Thomasina Miers, to be their ‘Chilli Guru!’

This week, since my greenhouse was becoming increasingly overcrowded, I decided to treat myself to a polytunnel, so that I would have more room to grow what I wanted.