"Pam Moore" wrote
I've not grown chillies before, but now have 3 plants, about 18 inches
high, grown from seeds from a bought chilli.
I have had them on my kitchen window ledge, but the flowers keep
dropping off. I don't think I've under or over watered.
There are now some small fruits forming but near the top of the
plants.
I put them outside about a week ago, and the next morning found a
biggish slug half way up a stem, so I brought them in again, minus
slug!

What do others do? I know there was a long discussion about chillies
a year or so ago but I passed it over, not being interested at that
point.
Are they better outside with the slugs or on the window ledge until
colder weather?

Are they self-fertile or do they need insects to pollinate?
TIA


We have grown them for years outside on the allotment. They are slow to
start into growth after germination so we find it important to provide a
good fertilizer to start them off once planted out and use Seaweed Extract
which seems to do the job. Once flowering they don't stop and we always get
a good crop of chillies, "Thai Dragon" (very hot) is our favourite and we
find it very reliable and a good cropper. Have tried growing from seed we
saved from shop ones but not found them any good (in our climate?). Never
had a problem with slugs outside and have never bothered to sprinkle slug
pellets around them.
If you have a sheltered spot in full sun (important!) try them there next
year, the plants get bushy when outside and are quite attractive with their
little white flowers (usually) so should work well in the flower border.
Just before the first frost we pull up the plants and take off the fruit.
Whilst the plants are perennial they don't seem to take to our low light
winters, even if potted and placed in a heated greenhouse they do not
thrive.

Gave a bag full of Thai Dragon to our Chemist's wife, Mrs Patel, last year
and told her they were hot. Chemist told me later I ruined his dinner that
night as he couldn't eat it because it was too hot.
His Mrs found it rather amusing. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden