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igenlodeI think the first of my Demon Red chillies is just starting to go red -- hoorah, hoorah, hooray!
I have been terribly worried that they wouldn't ripen and that I hence wouldn't get any usable seed; ironically I actually acquired a ripe fruit from a dark-leafed dwarf chilli plant (possibly "Explosive Ember"?) this morning with the idea that I could use the seeds from that as a back-up if necessary. I may still keep those... although I don't want too many varieties hanging around if I want to save the seed, for fear that they may cross-fertilise and the pepper I save turns out to be some weird hybrid!
Edit: in fact I note that last year the chillies didn't even start to turn colour until mid-September, and I got quite a decent ripened red crop in late October -- so there is still a long time for the Demon Reds to mature. The one that is showing a tinge of colour is way down in the middle of the plant, which means that it is one of the ones that set from the very first flowers before the bush put on its rush of growth; interesting in that it suggests ripening is more a question of time since the original setting of the fruit than of exposure to sunlight, for instance. (Certainly elderberries ripen much earlier on the sunny side of the tree!)
I have been terribly worried that they wouldn't ripen and that I hence wouldn't get any usable seed; ironically I actually acquired a ripe fruit from a dark-leafed dwarf chilli plant (possibly "Explosive Ember"?) this morning with the idea that I could use the seeds from that as a back-up if necessary. I may still keep those... although I don't want too many varieties hanging around if I want to save the seed, for fear that they may cross-fertilise and the pepper I save turns out to be some weird hybrid!
Edit: in fact I note that last year the chillies didn't even start to turn colour until mid-September, and I got quite a decent ripened red crop in late October -- so there is still a long time for the Demon Reds to mature. The one that is showing a tinge of colour is way down in the middle of the plant, which means that it is one of the ones that set from the very first flowers before the bush put on its rush of growth; interesting in that it suggests ripening is more a question of time since the original setting of the fruit than of exposure to sunlight, for instance. (Certainly elderberries ripen much earlier on the sunny side of the tree!)