Reckless Gardener - Online Gardening Magazine, including online gardening shop!

Chillies, chilli, paprika, capsicums or chili peppers, it doesn't matter what you call them; growing chile peppers is very popular these days. From the often mild climate of the South Coast of England to the somewhat cooler areas of Wales and the far north of Scotland, late Spring and early Summer sees people up and down the country covering their south facing window sills, airing cupboards and heated greenhouses with seed trays full of chile pepper varieties.

For me it all started last Summer. During a trip to our local garden centre my girlfriend suggested I buy some chile pepper seeds to grow my own chiles. In just a few short months a packet of cayenne peppers had turned into a project to bring a sense of order to the capsicum genus and its many varieties. As I got more and more interested in the diverse world of the humble chile pepper I got talking to Mark McMullan, a true expert on the subject. He had been keeping an excel spreadsheet detailing all the varieties he had come across and before we knew it we were both committed to converting that spreadsheet into what we hoped would be the most comprehensive source of chile pepper information on the internet. www.thechileman.org was born.

The main focus of the project, from the initial concept, has been the database. We now have more than three and a half thousand varieties listed, searchable by name, species, heat level and country of origin or association. From the mildest bell pepper to the frighteningly hot Naga Morich, the database is proving hugely popular, making it easy to find information on any pepper you can think of in one place. The project took six months of last winter to produce and will continue to evolve for a long time to come, but the feedback and comments that we have received make it all worthwhile.

Chilli

One of the most successful aspects of the site has turned out to be the chileman's Whippet Tail challenge. This variety of chile grows to an incredible length and so we decided to run a fun and friendly competition to see who could grow the longest Whippet Tail pepper of 2006. Before we knew it we had contestants from high in the mountains of Austria, to the snow covered forests of Finland, all mixing up secret composts in an attempt to win the competition. We posted Whippet Tail seeds to every corner of the globe and we expect the competition to reach fever pitch as the summer takes hold and everyone competes for the coveted chileman trophy 2006.

If growing chile peppers sounds like something you would like to have a go at, then you really should. It is stunningly easy and you don't need any previous experience. Your main motivation may be to grow a small chile plant for your kitchen. After all, cutting the delicious fruit from your own plant is hugely rewarding. But don't be fooled into believing that all chile peppers are thin, red and blisteringly hot because you could not be further from the truth. The capsicum genus is one of the most diverse fruit species with pods coming in all sorts of colours, shapes, sizes, flavours and heat scales. From the short squat habanero varieties that pack more heat than you ever thought possible, to the larger ancho varieties with their mild and subtle fruity or smoky flavours. The choice of what to grow is all part of the fun. And with a wealth of information on the internet at your fingertips there is no excuse not to get involved.