Well, it’s another terrific Sunday in Wollongong, Australia! (Despite the look on my face!)
I think we’re all a bit over hearing all the woes of the crypto market right now (have we reached the new bottom?), so I thought today’s post would bring a wee bit of gardening joy into your lives.
Let it be known, I’m writing this as a bit of a reaction to 
As lowly apartment dwellers (we’re cool with it), Hayley and I have limited space to grow plants. We keep quite a lot of indoor plants including ferns, Peace Lilies and a huge Devil’s Ivy that we’ve taken numerous cuttings from. However, a great deal of my joy comes from what I keep outside.
Today, I’ll just talk you through the main chillies I’ve been growing since last year. Being perennial, chillies will die off during the cooler season and just look like dead sticks in pots. It’s best not to water them for weeks at a time. Neglect is their friend at this stage. Then, when Spring springs, they’ll pop out cute little green shoots and you’re off and racing!
The chilli I’ve had the most experience growing is Mamma Cayenne Pepper.
I call her ‘Mamma’ because she has produced so many new Cayenne Peppers and her pot has remained the same. She has had so many babies! The fruit is hot but tolerable. I use the chillies from the Cayenne for our standard chilli flake mix to add some heat to our dishes.
The Cayenne Pepper, ‘Mamma’.
We are frequented by birds who also enjoy hot chillies!
One of ‘Mamma’s babies. Basil in the background and a tiny Cayenne Pepper in the bottom right of the image.
The Purple Prince. His second season. Very hardy and never shows signs of wilting. He’s a crusader! His fruit are slightly milder than the Cayenne, so easily enjoyed by most!
The fruit of the Purple Prince will eventually get a deep red hue, but can be picked earlier to avoid further heat development.
Arguably, the most gorgeous pepper flower. The bright purple marries with the deep purple veins running through the leaves.
The Naga Viper isn’t feeling too well and wasn’t up for photography. He’s been sick all season. His leaves are slightly curled, slightly yellow and he hasn’t wanted to bear fruit. I still love him, though!
The last few photos are of the Trinidad Scorpion Butch Taylor ripening her babies.
The Scorpion, the Viper, and the Carolina Reaper are all ferociously hot peppers. There are silly people on social media that challenge each other by eating these peppers. They are dangerously hot and could kill a small child and put an adult in severe pain. I simply cultivate them for their beauty and the fascination I have with the molecules of capsaicin (the hot molecule) that they produce in vast quantities. I have a great deal of respect for them and myself – so they’re off the menu!
The Scorpion fruit begin ripening from green.
Ripening begins at the top of the fruit closest to the connection to the stem.
Even though the fruit is small, it’s dangerous. I’m careful not to excessively touch the skin of the fruit to avoid accidentally piercing it and releasing capsaicin. She’s almost ripe here!
End product! Look at the gorgeous orange! These won’t turn red, as this is their mature colouration. They almost look like little mandarins, right? Deadly mandarins!
Thanks for stopping by!
I really hope today’s post has inspired you to plan a balcony garden – even if it is only a tiny one. The mental health benefits alone, make it completely worth the small amount of time and effort that goes into gardening. As a little thank you for getting to the end, here's one of my favourite ASMR videos about gardening! Enjoy the calming voice of Ilse of thewaterwhispers! (I've fallen asleep to her voice many an evening!
All the best,
Nick.
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Disclosure: This article was not a paid promotion.
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