Why Grow Chillies?

While I'm eagerly waiting for the germination of my recently planted seeds, I've got some time spare to explain why I bother doing it. A lot of people do ask, so I'll write a post.

So, why bother? I've never grown anything else. What's so special about chillies?

1 - Easy

It's as easy to grow chillies as it is to grow any other houseplant. Perhaps easier. They're incredibly tolerant plants, you can overwater them, underwater them, chop them back to a stump, and they'll still give you chillies. Even if you grow them to being rootbound, and never feed them, you'll still get some chillies [although not as many!].
So, yes, I do it because it's easy, or I guess, because it has a high chance of success.

2 - A little goes a long way

Sure, you can grow tomatoes or lettuce, but you could be slaving all year to get enough for a couple of salads. With chillies, you can grow enough to "survive on". I generally no longer need to buy chillies.

3 - Saving money

If you do normally buy chillies from supermarkets then you're probably aware that a pack of 5 can cost you up to £2 here in the UK. A single plant can give you fifty times that, over a season, so there is real money to be saved.
For example, this year, I bought an apache plant fully grown from a florist for £2, it had about 20 ripe chillies ready to pick, and I've had around another 30+ since.

4 - A change

I'm sure if you're reading this, you're probably fed up of scotch bonnets and jalapenos. Sure, they're good chillies, but the range in supermarkets of available chillies (outside of London at least) is terrible. I've only ever seen scotch bonnets, habaneros, jalapenos, random "red" unknown chillies and the staple thin "birdseye". And that's over a year, not on one trip!

5 - Superior

I try not to be snobby about chillies, so I won't say that they're always superior when you grow them, but it does seem like there's a half life, after which certain tastes and smells erode away. A freshly picked chilli often still tastes "floral". Supermarket ones don't. Freshly picked ones smell great.
I had a "hot wax" from a supermarket last year (Rare find!) and it tasted of nothing. I grew one, and it tasted fruity and hot!
The main reason for the superiority complex though, is because you're generally always picking them straight off the plant, so they're not being stored or refrigerated.

6 - Fun

Yes, I actually do enjoy it too.


Enough reasons?