Guide
Keen on chilli? Sow quickly now!
by Darina Schweizer
Growing chillies: how not to do it
24.9.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
From etiolated stems to yellow leaves: how I botched a chilli experiment on my balcony. Brace yourself for some searing self-criticism.
Chillies and I are like chocolate and pickles – we’re just not good together. Honestly, I’m not even a big fan of their taste. Sure, they’re spicy, but also strangely tasteless. However, they’re popular in the Galaxus Community and there are also some chilli fans in my family, so I thought I’d sow some seeds on my balcony to see what they give.
Let’s put it this way: the result wasn’t exactly mind-blowing.
Their childhood days growing up in an indoor greenhouse were carefree. But the transition from teenagers to adulthood and onto the balcony wasn’t so smooth. Once they reached a medium size, they started to lose numerous leaves. And the few miserable ones that were left turned yellow. On the upside, three small pods grew in August. So where did I go wrong?
Plant earlier
But let’s start from the top. April was my first mistake. Ideally, I should’ve planted the chillies in the living room much earlier in the year in February (page in German). The pods take around four months from germination to bearing the first fruit. Some hot varieties (Habaneros, Carolina Reaper etc.) take even longer. The larger and stronger they are when you can put them outdoors during the more stable and warm temperatures in May, the more flowers and fruit they’ll produce.
Repot sooner
I was also late moving the teen plants to their first flat share – a larger communal outdoor pot. Many of them had already formed overly long stems and become etiolated because the nutrients in the small pots had probably been used up and now had the plants desperately stretching towards the sun (pages in German). If I’d planted them a little deeper in the soil in a new pot, I could’ve avoided this. But hey, shoulda, coulda, woulda.
More water, different soil?
Why the leaves faded is still a mystery to me. Maybe I didn’t water the plants enough or used the wrong soil. Chillis like a moist, loose and nutritious substrate with a slightly acidic pH value of around 6.5 (page in German). For example, tomato and vegetable soil with an increased potassium content. Or a dash of...
A little boost
...organic liquid fertiliser. If I’d given the chillies a highly diluted dose, it would’ve given them a much-needed boost. But I only did that once and then forgot about it again.
More space
Finally, a slightly larger outer pot would probably have helped overall. In chilli forums, one with capacity of around six litres is recommended (page in German).
My bad, is all I can say. I’m also hoping my three scrawny pods will still have a growth spurt by the last possible harvest time in October. Next year, I’ll be better at this, I swear. And if I fail again, I’ll eat a bar of chocolate with pickles.
Have you been more successful at growing your own chillies? Thanks for sharing your tips in the comments below.
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
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