Hot stuff: A spicy treat in an English Kitchen Garden

Where do chilli peppers come from? 

The tiny chilli pepper can pack quite the punch. Chances are, you already know what your tongue can take. 

Whether in fiery pasta sauce, or a burning curry paste, this spicy plant could not be more of a stranger to the traditional English dinner plate. But yet, across the years, we’ve come to yearn for a little bit of a kick to our food. 

Chilli peppers belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, which means they’re ‘cousins’ of the calmer tastes of tomatoes, potatoes and aubergines. 

They originated in Central and South America, and there’s evidence that they were first cultivated as a crop around 3000BC- making it an ancient plant 

Thanks to Christopher Columbus’ travels to America, they were part of many crops that came to Europe. Unsparingly, they weren’t immediately embraced as our conservative European palates weren’t accustomed to hot flavours.  

Can we grow chilli peppers in the British climate? 

The key to good chilli plants is to sow them indoors, as they need warm conditions to germinate and grow. 

At Kew, I start sowing them indoors in February on a heat mat which keeps them snug and warm. They need a constant temperature of 21°C to germinate, which usually takes a few weeks. 

They’re then put into modules and kept at 16-18°C in the lightest spot I can find, and once their roots start showing we transfer them to pots. 

Once all chance of frost has passed, we move them outside (usually late May or June). A late frost will kill them, so it’s important to be cautious and not rush them outdoors. 

Chili peppers will produce many fruits depending on the species - some produce around 20 per plant. 

They keep ripening all the way until early October if the temperature and light levels stay high. 

Chilli peppers also grow really well indoors during summer, especially if you live in a colder part of the UK.