Chili Seeds - Only The Best Chili Seeds for Europe

Chili cultivation - a colorful and "hot" hobby

If you are interested in growing your own chillies, we have some good news for you: Even in our latitudes, outdoor chilli cultivation works great and with a little "green thumb" you will be able to harvest lots of spicy fruits! Since many varieties form the most diverse shades during ripening, chili plants are also super suitable as room decorations. Most varieties are not very demanding, quite resistant to pests and also well suited for beginners.

Your advantage at Growmart: With us you will find everything you need to grow chilies: Seeds, substrates, soil & growing soil, propagators & grow tents, fertiliser, grow lights, heat mats and more.

What exactly are chilies?

Chilis, like peppers, belong to the nightshade family and originated in South and Central America. The most common varieties are variations of the species Capsicum annuum (e.g. Cayenne, Jalapeños) and Capsicum chinese (e.g. Habaneros). Chilis have been used by humans for over 7000 years for the preparation of food and their name is usually traced back to a designation in the Central American original language Nahuatl. A language, by the way, that has also given its name to other plants and foods: "Xocolat, Tomatl and Chilli" - the Aztecs knew what was good even back then!

What is it about the different degrees of heat?

For the sharpness in the fruits provide the so-called capsaicins. Depending on the variety, this then ranges from "barely noticeable" to "entrance to hell". To make it easier for you to choose, we have divided the different grades into severity levels from 0 to 10+. The heat of chilies is measured in Scoville (SHU, Scoville Heat Units) - you can find more detailed information in the descriptions of the individual varieties. The current record has been held since 2013 by the Carolina Reaper with 2.2 million Scoville - a value that will not quite be reached in this country. But despite cooler weather conditions than in South Carolina, where this variety was grown by Ed Currie, it also gets so hot here that it warms the heart of every chilihead.

Growing and Care

One thing you can certainly say in advance: chilies love it warm and sunny! In order for the seeds to germinate reliably, you should only choose lightly pre-soaked soil or propagation cubes. Especially important, however, is above all the right temperature! This varies from variety to variety, but usually around 25 °C is a good average. Particularly high germination rates can be achieved by using a heated propagator. Also the first weeks after germination, such a mini greenhouse performs good services, because you should start with the cultivation already early in the year and it is otherwise quickly too cold for the small plants. If you repot your young chilies later, a well-dammed growing soil is a good choice - chilies need nutrient-rich and airy soil to develop vigorously and form many hot pods. For most varieties, pots with a volume of 6 - 10 liters are sufficient, especially for varieties with a long ripening period, it makes sense to choose a pot that you can bring indoors on cold days in early autumn. Daytime temperatures below 12 °C usually do not like chilies and may stop the ripening of the fruit. You should also avoid waterlogging at all costs. Offer your plants a sunny, warm place - lack of sun and heat will lead to a longer ripening period and fewer flowers / fruits. Occasional stress, e.g. by short dry phases, is supposed to increase the sharpness of the pods - nevertheless, you should not overdo it, because although most chilies come from partly very warm regions, they need some water.

What are the harvested chili peppers good for?

If you like chilies for more than just their beautiful appearance, you can use them in a variety of ways. The simplest is probably the drying with subsequent grinding. This gives you a chili powder that, depending on the variety, has a very interesting color and is well suited for seasoning dishes due to its sharpness. Particularly long and pointed pods can also be well threaded on strings and hung, for example, in the kitchen. The countless shapes and colors of the fresh fruits invite you to use them as table decorations at a dinner with friends. Of course, most varieties can also be pickled or made fresh into salsa. How about a hot chili whisky BBQ sauce or your own nacho salsa creation? With your own chilies, you can let your imagination run wild when cooking! The less spicy varieties can also be used raw in salads and are a great addition to the well-known peppers.