YPS publisher majordomo, Cathi-next-door often tries to educate me with one of their ‘self published’ books. In this case it was not life changing as were the books from Dr. David Grimes. I don’t even like chillies unless they are very mild! When I grew a high yielding single plant a few years ago it gave us enough chillies for two years and that was too many for me! I do love sweet peppers and we had a minor domestic whether Jason’s fine book explained how to grow them too. It does, the methods are exactly the same. Pity the title did not inform Brenda of this - the confrontation induced me to drink an extra glass of wine beyond my self imposed ration.
Before I go further let me say that Jason Nickel’s, book is a very good read. It is an essential item for any chilli lover who wishes to grow his own, or merely wishes to know the best ones to buy and how to prepare and eat them. Jason has grown chillies commercially all his life and is a recognised expert who the media consult whenever they want authoritative information. His book embarks and succeeds on a difficult line. The book is written as a complete guide to growing peppers and chillies. In addition to appealing to someone with no horticultural experience what-so-ever, it is also a rich source of information for the good gardener who wants to glean professional insights in advance of those offered in the popular gardening press.
Even if you want to grow something under glass other than chillies and peppers, much of the cultural information is as relevant as that you would learn on a college gardening course.
My first experience with chillies was fifty years ago when I taught at the Lancashire College of Agriculture and Horticulture. We grew and sold edible Capsicum annua as a house plant as an alternative to the poisonous Solanum capsicastrum, the winter cherry. Much to our surprise most of the sales were for eating! At that time there was zero commercial production of peppers as an edible crop!
I have a memory - I hope it is a false one - of advising a potential producer that pepper production had no commercial potential!
I have a memory - I hope it is a false one - of advising a potential producer that pepper production had no commercial potential!
I remember twenty years ago when I was consultant to a stately home garden, the poor gardener was suddenly informed he would have to produce peppers for 150 guests later that year in September for a special occasion. “How nice to produce one’s own peppers and impress the guests”. Did they not realise the vast cost this would be? Did they not care?
I only started to grow sweet peppers three years ago. Why should I when they are so much better from Aldi, where they have been produced in warm sunshine and tropical light?
I now grow some for ‘the hell of it’ and Brenda allows me to sow seed which litters our warm conservatory in March! I find it quite galling that she often turns her nose up at my perfectly good rather green peppers. I grimace when I look in her shopping basket and see bright yellow, orange and red.
'Growing Chillies' is a beautifully illustrated paperback, the colourful pictures are Jason’s own. The layout lends itself to read like a book or to use as a reference.
Equally suitable to amateurs or professionals it is mercifully brief when it gives information about commercial aids like automatic watering systems, hydroponics and artificial illumination. Actually for those souls who possess artificially illuminated propagation facilities, chillies will hugely benefit when propagating very early. Some gardeners love to play at being commercial growers with inappropriate gadgets. They will love these small sections.
To my surprise Jason favours loam based compost. Although he comes from a different direction to me - his dislike of peat for environmental reasons, I do agree that loam based compost has advantages over many of the poor quality loam-less composts often offered today.
The book is particularly good on cultural details and environment control. Sadly he repeats the old canard about water on wet leaves acting like a magnifying glass. He even describes symptoms! I am often set back when an acknowledged expert says silly things.There is no picture, Jason, have you ever actually really seen it? That is not to say that bright sunshine on previously shaded leaves coming from an amateur’s ill-illuminated propagator will not scorch in full sun and the book shows an excellent picture of this. Indeed it provides many excellent and helpful illustrations all round.
I did find a number of items of helpful information for my own unheated greenhouse crop. In the cold British climate he emphasised choosing varieties which mature quickly. I ordered Poseidon from, to me, newly discovered, 'Mole Seeds' a month ago, Their large packet will enable me to take Jason’s advice and if my germination is poor in late February I can sow some more!
I have never stopped or pruned my peppers but vaguely assumed this was wrong. I now know I am doing the right thing. The book also confirmed that in generous sized pots like mine I will have larger plants and bigger yield. Jason even mentions that unless you need to conserve precious early season heated propagation space by potting in small pots, you can go the whole hog and prick out straight into final pots. (Be careful, it is much more challenging to water properly small plants in large pots). That is the sort of gardening advice you do not get every day.
I have never stopped or pruned my peppers but vaguely assumed this was wrong. I now know I am doing the right thing. The book also confirmed that in generous sized pots like mine I will have larger plants and bigger yield. Jason even mentions that unless you need to conserve precious early season heated propagation space by potting in small pots, you can go the whole hog and prick out straight into final pots. (Be careful, it is much more challenging to water properly small plants in large pots). That is the sort of gardening advice you do not get every day.
Thank you Cathi for this excellent book. Perhaps, like the good doctor Grimes it is life changing after all. Perhaps Brenda will actually use my peppers this year!
Postscript written today
My 'Mole Seeds' arrived last week after a very short wait of seven days. I was most impressed with the large generous protective-sealed packets. I sowed a little earlier than usual for me on 16th of February and sneaked a drainage tray holding a dozen two inch pots into our warm conservatory. There has been no protest yet, but there may be when I soon do the same with my tomatoes! I have sown one or two seeds in each pot and with luck I will be able to put out and pot on peppers in my unheated greenhouse on April fool’s day.
I expect these to take about two weeks to germinate in the warm sunshine in our central heated conservatory |
PPS If you click through to the comment column you will find that Jason has sportingly taken up the cudgels about my magnifying glass remark. Here is a LINK to my original article
Update My pepper crop that year was my best ever. Brenda grudgingly used most of them and Cathi was ecstatic at the ones I passed over. Thank you Jason. I am still waiting for your evidence!