Hi..

Bob Hobden wrote:

We have grown them out on the allotment for years.

Chillis in general - or the sort Rick remembered..?

The one we prefer and
which always does well is Thai Dragon which is very hot.

Thai dragon == Prik Khi Noo == Hot stuff..? :-)

Did you ever try out good old Red Cayenne Pepper..? It's adapted to Middle
European summers and the _hot_ base of the "Cajun Cuisine"..?

Seeds are
available from Thompson & Morgan in most good GCs or online and I plant
ours about the middle of April in a heated propagator and grow them on in
a heated greenhouse (min 50°F) until the end of May when we plant them out
in an open sunny spot (normally protected from any N. wind by the
sweetcorn).

I'd possibly make a difference between short time sorts and long time
sorts..

A few good feeds of Seaweed Extract seems to get them off to a
good start, after that they are left to themselves unless it's dry when I
do water. The plants never grow large, are always compact bushes.
Come the chance of a frost in Sept or Oct, although they are perennial
plants, we pull the plants up and strip off the fruit. Freeze well.

Yes, forgot to mention freezing. I guess the most European sorts are adapted
to our summers..

A lot of the other Chillies are from hot areas of the world and simply
don't like our short summers.

ACK..

Keeping chilli plants over winter is difficult even with a heated
greenhouse, too dull, too damp.....

Does _dull_ mean as much as "too less light" or "twilight"..?
Well actually mine are real aphid and white fly magnets.. ;-(

they just wither away.

Well some sorts seem to lose all leaves in winter but do not die..
--
cu
Marco