Hello guest
Your basket is empty
Hello guest
Your basket is empty

 Hot Pepper Cayenne Red 

The cayenne pepper is a type of Capsicum annuum. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with a curved tip and somewhat rippled skin, which hang from the bush as opposed to growing upright. Most varieties are generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units. 
 
 
Grow your own 
 
Difficulty – Medium 
 
Sow - February-April 
 
Plant Out - June 
 
Harvest – July-October 
 
Seed Packet - aprox 20 Seeds 
 
Sow 
Chilli peppers can be started off from seed sown indoors from late winter until the middle of spring. Fill a 10cm (4in) pot with good quality seed compost, flatten it down to leave a level surface, then sow a few seeds on top. Most seeds will germinate, so only sow a few more than you need in case of losses. Cover with a fine layer of vermiculite, pop in a plant label and water. 
 
Seeds will germinate quickly in a heated propagator, but don’t worry if you don’t have one. Simply place a clear plastic freezer bag over the top of the pot and hold securely in place with an elastic band. 
 
After the seeds have germinated, remove the pot from the propagator and place on a light windowsill or on the bench in a heated greenhouse. When they are 2.5cm (1in) tall prick out seedlings, moving each into their own 10cm (4in) pot. Make sure the roots are well covered and the leaves are just above the surface of the compost. Water and place in a light spot indoors. 
 
If you forget to sow seeds, or lack the necessary warm, bright place to raise good plants, then buy young plants from garden centres in late spring. 
 
Grow 
While plants are still growing indoors, move into 13cm (5in) pots filled with general purpose compost when roots begin to show through the drainage holes in the base. 
 
When plants are about 20cm (8in) tall, or before if they start to lean, stake with a pea stick. 
 
Pinch out the tops of peppers when they are about 30cm (12in) tall to encourage lots of branches. 
 
Plants are ready to go outside in late May or when all danger of frost has passed. Either plant directly into the ground, spacing them 45cm (18in) apart or transfer them to 22cm (9in) pots to give them plenty of space to grow – remove the small pea stick and cover with fleece or cloches. Alternatively, you can plant three chilli peppers in a standard growing bag. Three short sticks with strings will eventually be required to support taller cultivars. 
 
For a bumper crop make sure you water regularly, especially in hot weather and feed every two weeks with a general purpose liquid fertiliser. Feeding should start when the flowers first appear, usually while plants are still indoors, and should continue until the fruit have been harvested. 
 
Harvesting 
Chilli peppers are generally ready for harvesting from July and can be removed from plants with a sharp knife or secateurs – picking fruit regularly will ensure the plant puts its energy into producing more fruit. 
 
Ones left to ripen to a pleasing and flavoursome red colour will suppress more fruit production, but cannot be avoided for best colour and flavour, and for the best fruits for drying. 
 
£2.00
Quantity:
Our site uses cookies. For more information, see our cookie policy. Accept cookies and close
Reject cookies Manage settings