Indian food is incomplete without the stingy spice of green chillies! Here’s How to Grow Green Chilli Plant at Home in India and enjoy them!
Green chillies are used to add spice to Indian food – you can eat them raw or cook them any way you like! With such versatility and rich flavours, why buy them? Let’s see How to Grow Green Chilli Plant at Home in India.
Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
Common Indian names; Hari Mirch, Hari Mirchi, Miḷakāy, Meṇasinakāyi, Paccamuḷak, Kancha Lanka, Marcha, Jeevisang, Mirchan.
Green Chilli Cultivation in India
India is one of the leading producers of chillis in the world. And it produces more than enough for its domestic use and exports as well. Green chillies are readily available in India throughout the year; but did you know they’re also one of the important crops? But where do they come from?
Andhra Pradesh produces 50% of the total chilli production in India. Other states like Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal also cultivate green chillies. So the next time you pick one, know that it can be from any part of India.
How to Grow Green Chilli Plant at Home in India
You can easily grow your own chilli plant without much hard work. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Get Seeds or Seedlings
There are two ways to get started. You can either find seeds from a nursery or online and grow the plant with these, or you can get small seedlings from a nursery.
We recommend going with young chilli seedlings for a quicker and better start. Try to find Hybrid Thai, Kanthari, or Indian Birds Eye varieties.
2. Prepare the Soil
You’ll need a well-draining soil that’s rich in organic matter. Mix up 2 parts garden soil with 1 part compost and 1 part vermicompost. It’ll be great for the plants.
How to Make Potting Soil at Home in India
3. Planting
If you have seeds, sow them in the potting mix that we prepared above in small holes (1/2 to 1 inch deep). Place 2-3 seeds in each hole and then cover them with the soil using your hands.
If you have seedlings, get rid of their original packets or containers. Just dig a hole in the soil that’s big enough for the seedling. Put it inside and fill the sides and top with your soil.
4. Provide Ample Light and Water
You should choose a place where there’s plenty of natural sunlight. Green chillies need at least 6-8 hours of direct sun. Plant it in a sunny spot – below a tree if you can so there’s a bit of shade as well.
You’ll also need to take proper care of watering. Water deep, so the soil is moist but not soggy. Water again only when the top inch of the soil around the plant feels dry to the finger.
That’s it. Just continue to take care of your plant, and in just 2-3 months, it will give you hot and lovely green chillies to eat. But don’t pull them with your hands – cut them off with a knife or scissors.
How to Grow Chilli Plant in Containers?
Want to grow your green chilli in a pot? That’s even easier than growing them in the garden. Besides, you can enjoy fresh and organic chillies from containers anytime! To plant the chillies in containers, you have to choose a pot that is big enough for the plant to thrive. We recommend a 12-15-inch pot with proper drainage holes – it’ll do well.
How to Grow Chilli Plant in Pot | Growing Chilies at Home
What next? Nothing. Just plant them in the pot filled with the soil mix just as you would do it in the garden soil, place it in a sunny spot, provide watering and the occasional gobar ki khaad (once in 4-6 weeks).
Care Tips for Green Chillies in India
- Green chillies need warm and temperate climates. The ideal temperature for growing green chillis is 20-25°C.
- Although chillies can grow well in a variety of soils with neutral pH, black soil is best for rainfed conditions. On the other hand, soils like sandy loam, which are well-draining and rich in organic matter, work better with proper irrigation.
- The chillies do not require a lot of water, so water only when the topsoil dries. Moreover, make sure to maintain a porous soil, as the plants cannot withstand moisture for a long time and will rot.
- You should fertilise your green chilli plants with cow dung manure (Gobar ki Khaad). Give it one time every 4-6 weeks during the growing season and once every 2-3 weeks when it fruits.
- (G-3), Bhagya Lakshmi, Andhra Jyothi, Sindhur, Kiran, Aparna, Bhaskar, Prakash, and Jwala are some common varieties of chilli found in India that grow easily.