Chilli 'Hot Lemon' Seeds

Probably the best know of all Chillies. Falls into the "Hot, but not too hot" category with 2,500 to 10,000 units on the Scoville scale.

Average 20 Seeds 

Harvest: July onwards  
Height: 140cm+

Indoor Cultivation (Greenhouse/Polytunnel)  
 
Sow seeds from mid December to late March. Ideally sow in individual cell trays, coir plugs (handily, we sell these here) with one or two seeds per plug, or in a pot with a gap of a few centimeters per seed. Once sown cover with a thin layer of vermiculite and keep somewhere warm – chilli seeds need a temperature of around 18-25°C to germinate, so ideally you're looking for a sunny windowsill or heated propagator.  
 
Keep the growing medium moist, but not too wet; the seeds should germinate in around 14-28 days – as a general rule of thumb the hotter the chilli the longer the germination time. Once the seedlings' true leaves begin to appear pot on into 7cm pots in a good quality compost. Pot on again in 9cm pots when the plant has outgrown the 7cm pots and then finally into either a 30cm pot/grow bag or directly into the soil of your greenhouse/polytunnel. If planting in the ground leave a gap of 60cm per plant.   
 
Pinch out the main growing tip when the plants reach 20-30cm in height. This will encourage them to branch out, and become more sturdy.  
 
Outdoor Cultivation  
 
Sow seeds from early February to late March. Ideally sow in individual cell trays, coir plugs (handily, we sell these here) with one or two seeds per plug, or in a pot with a gap of a few centimeters per seed. Once sown cover with a thin layer of vermiculite and keep somewhere warm – chilli seeds need a temperature of around 18-25°C to germinate, so ideally you're looking for a sunny windowsill or heated propagator.  
 
Keep the growing medium moist, but not too wet; the seeds should germinate in around 14-28 days – as a general rule of thumb the hotter the chilli the longer the germination time. Once the seedlings' true leaves begin to appear pot on into 7cm pots in a good quality compost. Pot on again in 9cm pots when the plant has outgrown the 7cm pots and then finally into either a 30cm pot or grow bag. They'll need to be somewhere warm and sheltered, so a sunny, south facing patio should do the trick. 
 
Pinch out the main growing tip when the plants reach 20-30cm in height. This will encourage them to branch out and become more sturdy. 

A vegetable no patch should be without – plants produce leaves throughout the year and the bright colours add interest even in the depths of winter.