I have not been able to grow chillies (that is, hot peppers if you’re US American) on my tiny balcony yet, because every time I try they somehow manifest an unholy aphid infestation that is unlike any other plant I’ve ever attempted to grow. I’ve tried three times in different years with different types and the aphids simply Know.
After the last aphid disaster I did some hemming and hawing, which went kinda like: “Well, there are ways around aphid infestations, so I just need to organise and I could try again with militant anti-aphid tactics,” and “but I could also just grow more cherry tomatoes and salad greens with much less effort and fretting…”
In the end, I decided the effort vs reward equation wasn’t on my side. I donated my chilli seeds to my coworker who said she’d never had a problem with chilli plants in her little indoor garden. Waste not, right? Bedsides, I had some seeds that theoretically would produce PURPLE chillies and it seemed important that someone should grow them.
My coworker, as promised, managed to grow them to adult size and then she gave me 6 chillies when they started producing. (They are indeed purple… before they turn red. You can eat them purple though.)
I am blogging about it now because I’ve just used the last one in dinner.
How sweet of her… ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡
