Cayenne Chili Peppers and Mini Red Peppers

I'm no expert Jasmyn... but I start my seeds in a bright area but not in direct sun. Once they pop up then you can get them used to direct sun. Are you growing them inside, outside or in a greenhouse? I grow my peppers either outside or in the greenhouse....but it is very hot over here in the summer. Peppers like heat and plenty of water and rich soil. I think in England you would be best transplanting them into your sunniest spot if they are going outside. I feed mine once a week with soluable Miracle-gro but it would depend on what type of fertilizer you are using. They probably will need to be staked although the minis are not tall plants. Don't let more than three main branches grow. Pinch out or prune off any suckers in the branch joints. This will give you larger fruit and a stronger plant. Epsom salts added to the soil allow the plants to absorb minerals such as iron and calcium from the soil more easily. I usually mix a tablespoon of Epsom into the bottom of the hole when transplanting.
Be careful with the flowers as they are quite delicate and easy to knock off. If your plants aren't setting much fruit you can pollinate yourself with a little paintbrush. I find I have to do that with the ones growing in the greenhouse.

Thanks Gilli...

I've never really gown anything aside from herbs.

I am growing them inside for now as the weather is proving unstable at the moment (It just hailed all over my herbs.)

When summer comes proper I'll move the pots outside. They are big pots and I plan to leave them in them.

I don't know anything about fertilizer...I'm not really very good at growing things (yet). The kits I bought came with "compost" to plant them in. So that's what I did. But the package recommended feeding them when they start to flower, so I will buy some miracle gro. Should I start feeding them right away? How would I go about adding epsom at this stage? (already planted and not being transplanted)

What's a sucker?

When it flowers, do I leave the flowers alone or pluck them like I do on my chives?

How long will the plants live? Do they die after they have born fruit or can I keep it alive and producing peppers year by year?

Sorry for all the questions, I just really want to be successful at growing something other than herbs for once.

As Gilli says peppers need a lot of heat and water. They can be grown and kept over time, but I do not bother.
I grow a crop and then harvest the last fruit just before the first frost in my area. I then freeze all the fruits and use over the winter, straight from the freezer, but they can also be pickled or made into salsas and canned or frozen.
A sucker is another branch that tries to grow in the joint of an older branch and the stem, it is usually best to remove these so that the fruit can get light to ripen.
I use a dilute mixture of epsom salts in water as the plants get bigger to promote blooming and fruit set. DO NOT remove the flowers, this is where the peppers come from. They must be pollinated either by insects or if indoors by you.
Chilis of all varieties need a lot of heat, light and water and for a long season, so may need to be brought indoors when the temps start to fall.
Good luck!

I would start fertilizing when the seeds sprout but use half strength at first as you don't want to burn the roots. So whatever the package says to mix the fertilizer at, just use twice as much water. As Wohlibuli says, you can mix the epsom salts into the water. I think Wohlibuli is our pepper expert !! LOL.
Are you going to need to pot the seedlings on into bigger pots?

I grew mini green peppers outside in a pot last year and I live in Scotland!! Even with the lousy weather I still got a good crop of very hot little blighters!! Will try again this year in my new little greenhouse, and hopefully they will grow bigger and loose a little of the heat!!

hey thanks every one :)

What is the right ratio of epsom salt and water?

I think I will keep them indoors, at least until mid summer when it is consistantly hot outside. They are really large pots so I plan to keep them in the pots they are in...if I get lots of shoots I might try and carefully transplant some of them into another large pot.

I am an avid cook and use a LOT of chilies and peppers in my dishes, so I figured it was time to start growing my own....organic!! I don't fully trust supermarket stuff even when it says "organic" on the package.

If you use a lot in cooking you will definately want to grow your own, it makes it much cheaper. I don't like the taste of Bell peppers so I substitute Jalapenos in recipes, and it works out well for us. We really like spicy foods.
I use 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water once when the plants are close to flowering.
Last year I grew Jalapenos and Cayennes, and will also this year but I am also trying Poblanos. A milder larger green chili, and I grow everything in pots and raised containers.

Thanks :)

If I can find some success with these then next year I may try some evil Habaneros :))

(we like spicy food too!)