So... chillies

[Peter Korsten]

Today at the supermarket, they were selling small potted chilli plants 
for a mere €1.75, so I picked up two. Not necessarily to eat the 
chillies, but because they're really pretty plants.

Now, my wife and I are known to have all the botanical skills of a 
penguin, and we manage to kill pretty much every plant we get in the 
house. And what survives, no doubt the cats will tackle, although they 
may not be so keen on chillies.

On the other hand, this is pretty much a subtropical climate, and almost 
anything you plant outside grows big quickly. What you'd find as a 
potted plant in western Europe can easily be a full-grown tree here. 
Right now, our orange trees are full of fruit, but because we both don't 
handle the acidity very well, we let them fall on the ground.

So... since several people on this list grow their own chillies, are 
there certain things to keep in mind? Do they need a lot of water, or 
not? Can they stand the intense summer sunshine? Could I plant them 
outside in January? The average temperature is around 10 degrees 
Celsius, going to somewhere between 25 (night) and 35 (day) in summer.

- Peter