Hi - like you, I live in the SW, and don't have a greenhouse, shed or conservatory, nor do I have space for loads of plant pots in the house, so all of my tender plants are moved in and out of the garage depending on the weather. There's obviously a risk, but for those of us with small spaces, there's no choice! Good luck.
Chillies or any other type of pepper,I never put outside at all, weather too fickle (ooh phone printed a naughty word then) they need such a long hot season,,I have grown Apache in a south facing green house,
Still true though - there are always hard choices to be made, lots of things I sadly don't grow, because I cannot supply their needs or am unable to give enough time to their care.
yeah, fair enough. in retrospect, I started them way too early under the growlights. was around 13th Feb. could have easily waited another month, but was desperate to get things kicked off!
Chillies need high light levels for their entire growth period, and temperatures in the mid teens to mid twenties .... there’s a reason they originated in Central America and not Scotland. 🌶
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm further North with no greenhouse so I do sympathise. I'm lucky in that I have a spare bedroom with a large windowsill that I use to raise my tender plants, with a table placed next to the window and a cardboard box and foil homemade reflector which helps reduce the amount of growing towards the light. Most things won't go outside until it's warm enough for them to go in the cold frame although the tomatoes might be too tall to fit in by then this year so we'll see. Last year they were out by this time. It's always a trial at this time of year, juggling things. Once they are outside (cold frame or not) I keep horticultural fleece and some old voile curtains to hand to throw over them if a cooler night is forecast. These aren't enough when it goes down to a few degrees above freezing (or lower) but they help if it's going to drop to say 5 or 6 degrees C and also if it turns windy.
I usually get a decent tomato crop outside but I choose cherry or other small types which don't take as long to ripen as big ones, so I don't start the seed until late March or early April, and Cucumber/courgette not until mid-April. This year I have 5 Apache chillies bought on impulse from the supermarket as a 4 pack of little seedlings, time so I'll see how they do outside. A couple might stay permanently in the cold frame for comparison, and I might try keeping one indoors on the windowsill if it turns out to be a cool summer. I do have a small shed but my new dahlias are taking up the space in there.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.