Chillies not for the faint-hearted

TIPS: HOW TO GROW THESE HOT LITTLE DEVILS

- Alice Coetzee

FIERY. Thai Red

For serious chilli lovers, growing your own from seed offers the chance to curate a collection that suits your palate for heat and flavour.

By November, the soil has sufficiently warmed up, because chillies need heat to germinate and the hotter the chilli, the longer they take.

Once established, however, chillies grow into decorative plants for small gardens or as container plants. Their strong root system makes them more resistant to over-watering, nutrient deficiencies and fungus disease.

► Rajah is a cayenne-type hot pepper bred in South Africa. It has long, slender tasty fruit that matures from green to red. It also dries well and can be ground into a powder and stored.

► Hungarian Hot Wax produces long, waxy fruits that ripen from pale yellow to gold and red and can be picked at any stage during their fruiting. The fruit is excellent for pickling, canning, frying and stuffing.