🌱✗ Tested and false“A scatter of Epsom salts will green plants up and stop blossom end rot”
Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, and they contain no calcium whatsoever, so they cannot address a calcium problem. Worse, magnesium and calcium compete for uptake, so adding magnesium can make blossom end rot more likely rather than less. Most garden soils hold plenty of magnesium already, and adding more unbalances what is there.
Our read Blossom end rot is not a soil shortage in the first place. It is about calcium reaching the fruit, which is governed by steady watering, so the fix is a watering can and a mulch rather than anything you buy.
What to do: Water consistently and mulch to hold that moisture steady. Use Epsom salts only if a soil test has actually shown a magnesium deficiency, which is uncommon.
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“Peppers and chillies grow fine outdoors in Scotland, the same as tomatoes”
Peppers are usually grown under cover in the UK and are only really successful outdoors in milder parts of the country or in long, hot summers. Chillies crop best in a greenhouse, with fruiting reduced when grown outdoors. Gardener's World and Teagasc both write for greenhouse cultivation as the default for both crops.
Our read Tomatoes are grown both ways across the UK without much fuss, which makes it easy to assume the same flexibility for closely related crops. Peppers and chillies need more heat and humidity than tomatoes tolerate skipping, and RHS is unusually direct that outdoor growing is the fallback here, not an equal option.
What to do: Grow peppers and chillies in a greenhouse, polytunnel, conservatory or large coldframe wherever you can. Treat outdoor growing as realistic only in a mild garden or an unusually hot summer, with cloche or fleece protection either way.
2 sources
- RHSThey are usually grown under cover in the UK, in a greenhouse, polytunnel, conservatory or coldframe. They are only really successful outdoors in milder parts of the country or in long, hot summers
- RHSChillies usually crop best in a greenhouse – when grown outdoors, fruiting may be reduced
“Watering chilli plants generously produces hotter fruit”
The opposite is true: allowing plants to dry out completely between waterings raises heat levels, since stressing the plant increases capsaicin production, though this weakens the plant and reduces yield overall.
Our read More water usually means a healthier, more productive plant, which makes it a reasonable-looking route to a better crop generally. Chilli heat runs on plant stress specifically, which is the one case here where a thriving, well-watered plant works against the result you might actually want.
What to do: Water normally for a healthy, productive plant and accept moderate heat, or deliberately let the plant dry out between waterings if maximum heat matters more to you than yield, understanding the trade-off either way.
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- Gardener's WorldTo increase heat levels, allow plants to dry out completely between waterings, though this weakens plants and reduces yield
“Every chilli variety struggles equally in a cool Scottish summer”
RHS names 'Fuego' specifically as more cold tolerant than most, a stated exception among its own recommended varieties rather than a general trait of the whole crop.
Our read Chillies get talked about as a uniformly heat-hungry crop, which makes sense generally but glosses over real variation between varieties on exactly the trait that matters most here.
What to do: Choose Fuego, or check any variety's own description for a cold-tolerance claim, rather than assuming all chillies need identical conditions.
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- RHS'Fuego': Cayenne type with long tapering fruits. More cold tolerant than most
“Peppers and chillies need feeding as heavily as tomatoes”
Both sweet peppers and chillies need less feeding than tomatoes: feed at about half the strength used for tomatoes, or limit feeding to once a week rather than more often.
Our read Peppers, chillies and tomatoes are grown the same way, under cover, fed with the same tomato feed, and often side by side, which makes it easy to assume one feeding schedule covers all three. Their actual nutrient demand isn't the same.
What to do: Feed peppers and chillies at half the strength you'd use for tomatoes, or weekly rather than more frequently, and treat heavier feeding as a tomato-specific habit rather than a general greenhouse routine.
2 sources
- TeagascSweet peppers demand less nutrition than tomatoes, requiring feed at about half the strength used for tomatoes or weekly applications
- TeagascChilli peppers require less feeding than tomatoes. Use high potash feeds at half-strength or once weekly
“Chilli plants are annuals that die off each winter, so you have to start fresh from seed every year”
A chilli plant doesn't have to go on the compost heap in autumn. Pruned back to a manageable size and brought indoors somewhere warm and bright, it can be carried through the winter and crop again the following year. Starting fresh from seed each spring is a habit, not a rule.
What to do: Before the first frosts, prune a healthy plant back to a manageable size and move it to a warm, bright spot indoors, such as a windowsill or conservatory. Water sparingly over winter, then bring it back into growth in spring.
In Scotland: This matters more in a short, cool Scottish season: a plant carried over winter starts the year already grown, rather than waiting on a spring sowing to catch up.
1 source
- RHSChilli plants can be overwintered in a heated location, rather than started afresh each year... Plants should be pruned back to a manageable size, then kept in a warm, bright place, such as an indoor windowsill or conservatory, and watered sparingly.
