We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide
How MSE is your chilli plant?
VfM4meplse
Posts: 34,269 Forumite
Now I've finally got the [STRIKE]year-round greenhouse[/STRIKE] south facing conservatory I've always longed for, I can go all tropical with my plant collection :dance:
First on the list is a red chilli plant from Lidl, which was bought the other day for £4.99 (let's say £5). I eat it rarely, it's great on veggie pizza and I have been known to freeze and then slice them down the middle when it's G&T time
but most will be passed straight onto others for their enjoyment. I thought it would be interesting to keep a tally of how cost-effective this plant is, by dividing the cost in pence by the yield.
Thus far, 20 ripe red chillies have been picked, at a cost of (500p/20) 25p each. I expect the price per chilli to go down as more pop up, I can see another 8 ripening on the plant nicely so it's something I can easily keep a track of.
Just a bit of fun! Tbf I probably wouldn't do this with higher-yielding plants such as tomatoes and berries [STRIKE]where the yield goes straight from plant to mouth without passing Go[/STRIKE].
First on the list is a red chilli plant from Lidl, which was bought the other day for £4.99 (let's say £5). I eat it rarely, it's great on veggie pizza and I have been known to freeze and then slice them down the middle when it's G&T time
but most will be passed straight onto others for their enjoyment. I thought it would be interesting to keep a tally of how cost-effective this plant is, by dividing the cost in pence by the yield.Thus far, 20 ripe red chillies have been picked, at a cost of (500p/20) 25p each. I expect the price per chilli to go down as more pop up, I can see another 8 ripening on the plant nicely so it's something I can easily keep a track of.
Just a bit of fun! Tbf I probably wouldn't do this with higher-yielding plants such as tomatoes and berries [STRIKE]where the yield goes straight from plant to mouth without passing Go[/STRIKE].
Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!
"No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Hope is not a strategy...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!
"No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Hope is not a strategy
...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!0
Comments
-
Congratulations on your conservatory!
What variety of chilli is it? Chillies grown alone, inside are unlikely to cross pollinate & should be true from seed. You could save seeds to plant next year and technically have infinite chillies :beer:.0 -
Most people grow chillies as an annual but you can keep them going for years, even continuing to produce chillies through the winter, as long as you keep them warm0
-
It's dying already
Not down to a lack of water, purely because the environment was just too hot for it
Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!
"No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Hope is not a strategy...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!0 -
I've got chilli seed pods - so far nothing exciting is happening but we shall see!Living the simple life0
-
VfM4meplse wrote: »It's dying already
Not down to a lack of water, purely because the environment was just too hot for it
They're pretty good with heat but a shut-up conservatory can reach ridiculous temperatures.
They seem happy at 20-30 degrees C0 -
Just thought I'd offer an update. The chilli plant has been outside in the sunshine and is watered every day, so is growing and looking v healthy. What it's not doing is giving me any fruit. Am guessing the solution would be to bring another chilli plant into its vicinity to encourage a bit of pollination?Value-for-money-for-me-puhleeze!
"No man is worth, crawling on the earth"- adapted from Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio
Hope is not a strategy...A child is for life, not just 18 years....Don't get me started on the NHS, because you won't win...I love chaz-ing!0 -
Chillis are self pollinating so they have both the male and female parts within one flower. They have to be able to touch though so what I do is just give any flowering greenery a bit of a shake to loosen.
As your plant has been under stress (too hot) then it's likely the stress has halted flowering.0 -
I got a free chilli plant a few years ago. I had hundreds of chillis from it and it was really wasted on me as I can't eat spicy or hot food so I dried them all. Laid them out in the conservatory and they dried in the heat. Then I filled a glass vase and put them on my kitchen windowsill and they looked very decorative. Along came daughter in law number 2 and off they went home with her.0
-
We LOVE chillies ! I grow 'Ring of Fire' in the greenhouse, and 4 plants will see us through until next year's plants start cropping (they freeze really well).
A packet of bought hot chillies costs about the same as a packet of seeds - so even after factoring in the cost of compost, etc, the money saved must be quite considerable !0 -
VfM4meplse wrote: »Just thought I'd offer an update. The chilli plant has been outside in the sunshine and is watered every day, so is growing and looking v healthy. What it's not doing is giving me any fruit. Am guessing the solution would be to bring another chilli plant into its vicinity to encourage a bit of pollination?
As fuddle says, just give the flowers a gentle shake to pollinate. Are you feeding your plant? Tomato food will be fine.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 353.6K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 455.1K Spending & Discounts
- 246.6K Work, Benefits & Business
- 603K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.1K Life & Family
- 260.7K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards