Pointed pepper

Chilli peppers are not hardy and die in frost. You either raise them anew from seed every year or overwinter established container plants frost-free. To do so, repot them in late summer before nights fall permanently below 10 °C, cut the shoots back markedly, remove fruit and leaves and put them somewhere bright and frost-free at around 10 °C; water only sparingly, do not feed, and from February put them somewhere warmer and brighter again.

Sowing (main method): Sow chilli peppers indoors on the windowsill from mid-January to the end of February; the long growing season (around 5 months to harvest) makes the early start necessary. Use loose seed compost in shallow trays or peat pellets and cover the seeds only thinly with about 0.5 to 1 cm of soil. For germination you need even warmth: 22 to 28 °C is ideal; a spot above the radiator or a heat mat under the seed container helps. Keep the soil evenly moist, but not wet. The first seedlings show after about 10 to 20 days. As soon as the tips show, the early-sown seedlings need plenty of light (a bright south-window spot or plant light), otherwise they become leggy. As soon as the first true pair of leaves is visible, prick the young plants out into 10 to 15 cm pots. After the Ice Saints (from mid-May), when no more night frosts threaten, you can put the hardened-off plants outdoors, in the greenhouse or on the balcony. Chilli peppers are frost-sensitive and like it warm and sunny.

Cuttings (for reusing a variety true to type, somewhat more demanding): If you want to secure a proven or rare variety, in early summer you can cut a healthy side shoot about 10 cm long with four to five leaves. Remove the lower leaves and place the cutting in moist seed compost or a glass of water somewhere warm and bright. Rooting usually shows after two to four weeks, but does not always work reliably, which is why sowing remains the safer choice in the home garden. Alternatively, overwinter the whole mother plant bright and cool at 10 to 15 °C, water sparingly, cut it back hard in spring and bring it back to the windowsill in March; this way it sprouts again for the new season and supplies fresh cuttings if needed.