Winter can be a quiet time for growing your own plants, so whilst I was busy planning ahead for my Spring veg patch I decided to have a go at growing something indoors. Last Autumn I ordered a potted Jalepeno Chilli Plant and placed it on my kitchen windowsill, to grow throughout the winter. It was slow growing at first but I kept it well watered and it began to flower in late December. This was a welcome sight, especially during gloomy old January!
I made sure it was planted in some really good compost to give it all the best nutrients I could. We get the afternoon/evening sun on this part of the house so knew it was going to benefit from the warmth for most of the day, albeit not much during winter.
It’s now growing well and as the flowers begin to die off I can see the beginnings of baby chillies. I have read that it is important to keep them well watered once the chillies begin to form, at least 2/3 times a week, especially as they are indoor plants. I am really looking forward to watching these grow, they should be ready to harvest in about 6 weeks which will be perfect for getting into the spring-summer spirit and cooking up a batch of yummy nachos!
This made me think about other plants that I could grow on my windowsill this year. Due to the limited space of a windowsill I will only be able to plant smaller varieties. I am thinking of adding a few of these to my tiny garden plot outside due to the limited space I have available for planting, so I may plant any leftover plants in pots on my windowsill. It will be a fun experiment to see where the plants like to grow best.
I have made a shortlist of plants that I could order for my garden that would also grow well on a windowsill, that way I can use all the plants I have delivered.
- Dwarf Beans
- Cherry Tomatoes (the Tiny Tim ones look cute)
- Smaller Lettuces (Little Gem or Acherito would be perfect)
- Wild Rocket
- Herbs (possibly Basil or Coriander – my favourite herbs for cooking)
It’s been really sunny here in Cornwall this past week, despite being rather chilly, it has got me excited about the warmer whether to come. I will be making some firm plans on what I am going to plant in my tiny garden over the next couple of weeks, so I will keep you posted.
