Chilli Scoville Chart & chilli growing tips

Heat	Scoville Scale	Chilli Varieties
	0 – 100	Sweet Banana, Sweet Bell Peppers, Pimento
	100 – 1000	New Mexico, Anaheim, Pepperoncini,Paprika, Sonora, Mexican Bell Cherry
	1000 – 1500	Pasilla Bajio, Anaheim, Ancho, Espanola,
	1500 – 2500	NuMex Big Jim, Pasilla, Sandia, Cascabel
	2500 – 5000	Jalapeno, Chipotle, Poblano, Mirasol,
	5000 – 15000	Hungarian Yellow Hot Wax, Serrano
	15000 – 30000	Serrano Tampiqueno, Chile De Arbol, Manzano,
	30000 – 50000	Cayenne, Tabasco, Piquin, Aji
	50000 – 100000	Birds Eye, Santaka, Chiltecpin
	100000 – 350000	Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Small Thai, Scorpion, Indian Tezpur
	350000 – 855000	Red Savina Habanero, Chocolate Habanero, Indian Tezpur
	867000 – 970000	Dorset Naga
	1000000 – 2000000	Carolina Reaper, Pepper Spray, Infinity, New Mexico Scorpion, Naga Viper, Trinidad Scorpion
	2,500,000 – 5,300,000	US Grade Pepper Spray
	6,000,000 – 8,600,000	Homodihydrocapsaicin
	8,800,000 – 9,100,000	Nordihydrocapsaicin
	2,000,000 – 10,000,000	Pepper Extracts, Blair’s Reserve’s, The Source, Dave’s Private Reserve
	15,000,000 – 16,000,000	Pure Capsaicin, Blair’s 16 million

Increasing your chilli numbers

If you want to increase the number of chillies or capsicums your plant produces, you need to increase the number of sidestems. You can do this by tipping your plant onto its side once it is a substantial size. The plant will try to grow upright by throwing out a number of sidestems. Once it has done this, turn the pot around so that the new sidestems are facing down and it will throw out another series of sidestems, reaching for the light. Give the pot a quarter turn and once another set of sidestems have been started, turn another half turn. You can then return your plant to an upright position and wait for a bumper harvest. Chilli & Capsicum plants are perennials and are generally more productive in their second year than their first year.

Seed sprouting tip

Take 2 sheets of paper towel and fold in half and brush with hot water using a pastry brush (wet but not drenched)
Put two seeds on the wet towel and fold in half so the seeds are encased in the paper towel
Place in a zip lock bag, don’t close, and store on a sunny window sill for two to three days
Seeds should sprout in a couple of days. If sprouting takes more than a week then try again
I got this tip from bewickedhandy on instagram – so it is not my idea but worth a try

Companion plants for chillis

Onions are said to deter common insect pests like aphids, cabbage worms & slugs
Tomatoes provide protection from the sun but need rotating in different beds each season
Carrots help to shade out weeds
Okra provides partial shade for the peppers and wind protection
Leeks are said to repel carrot flies and other insects
Radishes fill in spaces around the chillies and are quick to grow
Beans fix nitrogen, crowd out weeds and provide sun and wind protection
Squash helps protect the soil and keep weeds down
Beets fill in empty space, shade out weeds and keep soil moist
Chard interplanted with peppers gives shade, protection from wind, and crowds out weeds.
Parsnip helps to crowd out weeds and keep soil covered and moist
Chives are said to deter aphids and other insects, and improve flavour and come back yearly
Basil is said to boost the flavour of peppers. Repelling insects requires large quantities
Lovage provides protection from sun and wind and is said to improve the flavour
Geraniums are said to help repel cabbage worms, Japanese beetles, and other pests
Marigolds are said to stimulate growth & repel beetles, nematodes, aphids, potato bugs & squash bugs
Petunias are said to repel asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, tomato worms, and aphids
Nasturtiums are great ground cover, improve flavour and growth while deterring many garden pests

Growing peppers in pot plants

You need good organic potting mix not just regular garden soil
At least 5 to 6 hours of sun a day
Lots of water – daily if temps are around 18C. Or twice a day if temps over 27C
Fertilise with slow release fertilise once a month or worm tea
Add a pinch of propagation powder to the hole when planting or coat seed with powder
You can add propagation powder when planting in the garden as well to aid sprouting of your seed
Chilli plants are self pollinators but produce more fruit with the aid of pollinators
Hand fertilise by gently shaking the plant to distribute the pollen. Hand pollinating is only necessary if you are having trouble getting fruit
Use a paint brush swirled inside the open blooms to help pollinate