FIRE STARTERS

Spice up your gardening life! Benedict Vanheems invites us to delve into the sometimes masochistic world of chillies. The secret to success? Start now for a hotter, heavier harvest

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Step into the fiery world of chillies and you'll quickly discover its mischievous streak. There’s always someone trying to outgrow — or out eat - everyone else, proudly brandishing fruits so hot they come with their own health warnings. Yet that’s precisely their charm. As our taste for bold, exotic flavours grows, more gardeners are turning to these fiery little marvels to spice up both their meals and their gardening adventures.

Chillies come in a dizzying range of personalities. At the gentle end of the scale, the mildest varieties offer barely a whisper of warmth, while at the hotter end chillies can produce a panic-inducing shortness of breath, a sweat-beaded red flush to the face and streaming eyes - soon followed, if you're a true chilli head, by a telltale grin. And there’s the twist - that rush is addictive! Capsaicin, the compound behind the burn, floods the brain with feelgood endorphins, giving chilli lovers that irresistible rollercoaster buzz - a little danger but a lot of fun. No wonder we keep coming back for more!

If January feels too bleak and wintry to think about growing something as scorching and sun-loving as chillies, think again. In fact, these vibrant fruits thrive when given a long head start, and the earlier you can sow them, the better. Get going now and set your plants up for months of strong growth and a far greater chance of a bumper harvest come summer.

EARLY RISERS

Whether you're aiming for (relatively!) mellow Jalapeños to chop over nachos or are keen to test your mettle with the ominously named 'Carolina Reaper', an early start is recommended in our cooler climate.