[gmbunn]

Hi folks, im wondering how people have got on with Chilli Pepper plants? Ive tried for the forst timethis year and have 4 strong plants with planty of fruit. Although some have a blackness to them, which im not sure about?

Cheers

[WirralWally]

I guess that plenty of us are having a good year with chillies, judging by the responses in the many threads on the subject.

However, I guess that you are really questioning the 'blackness' of yours. 
What is black? Leaf, stems, or fruit?
What variety of chilli?
Give us a clue, and we'll try to help. 

[chili]

as black as mine
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=61287.0

[gmbunn]

Not quite that black! Theyre deep green but with black colour patches over the sides of the chilli. However this is only the case on one of the four plants. Other than that it does look very healthy though

[arugula]

Great success this year with Cayenne, also tried chocolate Hab, with only one plant growing and its tiny. Sweet peppers develop black marks when they start to ripen from green through to red, so I would assume this to be the same process happening in your chillis, if the black is appearing on the fruits.

[smilydog]

Just as it should be!

Chillis ripen the same as Peppers, the skin appears to go very dark/black just before they go red

I hope you enjoy your success!!

Smilydog

[chili]

Just as it should be!

Chillis ripen the same as Peppers, the skin appears to go very dark/black just before they go red

I hope you enjoy your success!!

Smilydog

oh... i picked mine thinking they were done they have been black for a couple of weeks now

[daisy1990]

Hope you are going to dry them and use them all year- just finished the last ones from the 2009 crop and they still taste good!

[abraidwood]

I've had black patches on the chillis on otherwise healthy plants in previous years & I think it had something to do with the soil being too wet (though that might have just made them more susceptible to disease?)

I still used the chilis, just not the blacker bits!

[Cazzy]

For the 2 years i've grown them, jalapenos get blackish patches, I thought that was normal.

[Jonajo]

yes some of mine have black patches but they are fine - taste hot yet sweet.

I picked some the other day for a curry and, as I did last year, froze a load as they were (still capture the heat when used straight from the freezer wonderfully) and some in oil after slow roasting.

[gmbunn]

Can i use them green or should i be waiting for them to turn red? theyre about 4-5 inches at the moment

[arugula]

They're just as lovely green. We had one chopped through a salad for tea yesterday, yum! 

[nilsatis1964]

I have plants which are about 2 foot tall but no flowers yet.  I planted them at Easter and they have never been out of the porch.  I do not think I will get any atall this year.

[mumofstig]

Have you fed them with tomato fertiliser? this would encourage flowers