Chilli – Vegetable garden

Chilli is an important vegetable and spice in every Indian cuisine and is grown throughout the country. Pungent forms are used as green chilli, whole dry chilli, chilli powder, chilli paste, chilli sauce, chilli oleoresin or as mixed curry power. Dried fruits are extensively used in spice.Chili peppers cover a wide range of peppers under the name Capsicum annuum. They include but are not limited to: Anaheim, ancho, cayenne, jalapeño, habanero and hot banana wax. Chili pepper plants can grow anywhere but they prefer sunny, warm conditions. After growing these plants and enjoying the wonderful taste of chili peppers.

Scientific name: Capsicum annuum
Common name: chilli pepper, chilli, bell pepper, paprika, cayenne, halapenos, chitlepin, Christmas pepper.

How to grow and maintain chilli:

Pick a variety of chilies:

Chilies are a standout amongst the most magnificent plants to develop, in light of the fact that they come in such a wide variety of colours, sizes, tastes, and spice-levels. Chilies can be either an annual (must be replanted each year) or a perennial (grow back on their own). There are also three general types of chili: sweet, hot and ornamental. All three types have some level of spice, but sweet chilies are the mildest, ornamental have lovely colours and shapes (but can be very hot), and hot chilies are used primarily for their intense spice and flavour. Chilies range from green, butter yellow, peachy orange, and fire-engine red, to plum and a pitch black hue. The colour doesn’t have a direct correlation to the flavour or spice level of each chili pepper.

Climate and soil:  

Chilli requires a warm and humid climate for its best growth and dry weather during the maturation of fruits. Chili crop comes up well in tropical and sub-tropical regions, but it has -a wide range of adaptability and can withstand heat and moderate cold to some extent. The crop can be grown over a wide range of altitudes from sea level up to nearly 2 100 meters. It is generally a cold-weather crop but can be grown throughout the year under irrigation. Black soils which retain moisture for long periods are suitable for rainfed crop whereas well-drained chalka soils, deltaic soils, and sandy loams are good under irrigated condition.

Location:

Find the best location for planting. Chilies are heat-loving plants and are the most successfully grown in areas that have plenty of suns. Choose a plot in your garden that gets full sun or at least mostly sun for the majority of the day. If you live in a desert area, you may need a location with a bit of shade so that the chilies do not get sunburnt. If you live in an area that gets lots of rain, try to find a location in full sun with good drainage; too much water will drown out the chilies and cause them to grow less fruit.

Watering:

Timely irrigation is essential, especially for fruit set and development. The irrigation is required at every third /4th day during summer while in winter, it should be 7-8 days interval. For row planted crops, drip irrigation is advantageous and fertilizer can be supplied through drip irrigation.

Harvesting:

Chilli is highly perishable in nature. It requires more attention during harvest, storage, and transportation. Harvesting should be done at the right stage of maturity. Dark green fruit should be plucked for preparing chili pickle. For dry chili and for making chili powder, picking should be done when the fruit is dark red. Ripe fruits are to be harvested at frequent intervals. Retaining fruits for a long period on the plants causes wrinkles and color fading. The crop is ready for harvesting in about 90 days after transplanting. About 5-6 pickings are made for dry chili and 8-10 pickings for green chili.

Diseases: 

Rot and Dieback caused by Colletotrichurn capsici and bacterial wilt are the two major diseases of chilies. Careful seed selection and adoption of phytosanitary measures will check the diseases of chilies. Early removal of affected plants will control the spread of the diseases. Seed treatment with Trichoderma takes care of seedling rot in the nursery. Varieties tolerant to diseases should be used wherever the disease is severe. Rouging and clestrutction of affected plants help in checking the mosaic virus.