[mickeyboy]

Hi all a couple of questions i am hoping you chilli experts can help me with

I have some rocoto red chillis bigger than golf balls in my raised beds, the problem is they are all green and show no sign of going red. probably a silly question but will they turn red or now the weather has turned should i harvest them now and can i dry seeds for next year?

I also have some bhut jolokia that are all green and the same questions apply as above?

Is there anyway rather than dig them all up and throw away i can keep them in for next year? I have some in pots aswell which i am unsure as to what to do with as the wife wont let me put them in the house
Sorry about all the questions, but i havent a clue when it comes to chillis
Thanks for any advice as its well needed
Mickeyboy

[Yorkie]

I have no experience with chillies but here's a thread to get you started:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=65964.0

[TheSpartacat]

My experience with chillis is limited but i'm pretty certain that you can still use all chillis when green. The flavour won't have developed as much, as they get hotter as they ripen, but by no means are they useless and for the compost heap!
The weather has turned a lot recently, and they might not be keen to ripen since they've had their first touch of cold- bound to slow them down, but you could try chucking fleece over them and hopefully a few might ripen to the red you want?

You should be able to get seeds from them as well, though, I would kinda think that not all of the seeds would be ripe enough to get a brilliant germination rate... but maybe someone else here who has seed saved from chillis would be able to tell you that... they're one veg I've not saved seed from. (I've found tomato seeds saved from unripe ones were a wash out)

Or you could try bribing your wife about bringing them in They're not too big are they? Whack a bow on the pot, pretty it up? I gotta say, I've never bothered asking my other half what his thoughts were about me turning our book shelves into a mini seedling nursery...my method was to get it done while he's out and have a really nice dinner ready for him when he got home to take the edge off... LOL (the poor man!! He's used to me by now... hee hee)

[mumofstig]

If you pick the green ones they will ripen enough to eat, as the other thread suggests. I don't know if the seeds will ripen enough to use next year though

I don't think you will keep the plants alive over winter unless you can put them somewhere warm...........and if you can't bring them indoors