Spice Up Your Life with Homegrown Cayenne Pepper!
There’s only one chilli pepper I grow every year, and that’s CAYENNE. I absolutely love it!
Why grow cayenne? Here are my top 3 reasons:
It’s so easy to grow! If you can’t sow from seed or forget to start early, you’ll often find cayenne plants in garden centres or even supermarkets.
It’s versatile! Cayenne is easy to store and use fresh, frozen, or dried.
It’s incredibly healthy!
Health Benefits of Cayenne
Here’s why you should grow, harvest, and make your own cayenne pepper powder at home:
Free from Preservatives: Growing your own peppers ensures you’re getting the freshest, purest cayenne powder possible.
Rich in Nutrients: Packed with vitamins A, C, E, and B6, plus potassium and manganese, cayenne supports immunity, skin health, metabolism, and heart health.
Boosts Metabolism: Capsaicin, the active compound, promotes fat oxidation and calorie burn.
Supports Digestive Health: Stimulates enzyme production and aids gut health.
Pain Relief: Capsaicin is used topically to relieve muscle and joint pain.
Heart Health: May help lower blood pressure, improve circulation, and reduce cholesterol.
Anti-inflammatory Properties: Reduces inflammation and protects cells from oxidative stress.
Immune Support: High in vitamin C for a stronger immune system.
Convinced yet? Read on to learn how to grow your own cayenne peppers!
Cayenne chilli is what we here in Ireland would call an exotic, heat loving plant and boy do we wish we had the heat to give it…. but unfortunately we don’t. So, to give cayenne what it needs I grow it in a greenhouse, but a south facing sunny windowsill in your home will also work.
How to Grow Cayenne Peppers
Start Early: I like to start my seeds as early as possible to give plants the longest growing season possible. January is a perfect time to start if you have heat mats and grow lights, but late February and early March is ideal if you don’t have those resources.
Sow seeds: Sow seeds half a centimetre deep in good quality peat free compost. Seeds can be sown into individual pots or cells trays. Don’t forget to label with the variety and date sown.
Germinate: Place somewhere warm and bright to germinate. A consistent temperature of around 20°C is ideal to stimulate germination which can take 1-3 weeks.
Water: Keep the compost moist but not wet. Peppers don’t like soggy roots.
Pot Up Gradually: When seedlings have true leaves, transfer them to larger pots as they grow. Final pots should be 2–3 litres. If transferring to a greenhouse wait until greenhouse temperatures are consistent between 15 - 25°C. Plants can also be grown in the ground or a raised bed in the greenhouse. I tend to keep mine in pots. Keep an eye on greenhouse temperatures. If it gets too hot, 30+°C , plants will stop producing so make sure to ventilate during warm weather.
Feed: When plants begin to flower, I feed with a diluted solution of tomato feed once a week to provide an extra boost of energy for fruit development. Fruits start off green, slowly turning red in the heat of the sun. They can be consumed red or green, but cayenne powder is made with fully ripened red chillies.
To pinch or not? - Many sources encourage pinching the growing points of chilli plants when they reach 15-20cm high. Pinching encourages more branching and therefore more fruit. In my experience this is not true. This might be slightly controversial but given my local Northern Irish climate of constant cloud cover and rain, I have found that pinching can set my plants back by 4-5 weeks. I find non-pinched plants produce fruit over a much longer period than pinched plants and yield around the same. By the end of the season. Plants can get a bit leggy, but nothing that a supporting bamboo cane can’t resolve.
Harvesting & Drying
Harvest: When peppers are bright red use scissors to gently snip fruits from the plant. The more you harvest the more fruit is produced.
Dry: To dry, string the chillies together using a needle and thread sowing each chilli through the green stalk and hang them somewhere warm and well ventilated. You’ll start to notice a difference in a few weeks, but it can take a few months for the chillies to become completely dry inside and out. To speed things up you can use a dehydrator or place sliced peppers on a baking sheet and dry at the lowest oven setting for several hours.
Grind: Once fully dried, remove the green stalks and grind into powder using a spice grinder. Store your freshly milled powder in a clean, airtight jar and use within 12months although it never lasts that long in this house! I also keep a few dried chillies whole to add to curries and casseroles for just a hint of spice. The whole chillies are easily removed once you’ve reached your heat tolerance limit.
How to use your homegrown chilli powder:
My favourite way to use cayenne chilli powder is sprinkled on some homemade humus or guacamole for an added sweet spicy kick. It can also be added to stews, sauces, curries, meat rubs or sprinkled onto roasted veggies.
Mix combinations of lemon, honey, orange and ginger with a sprinkling of cayenne for a morning immunity boosting shot!
Will you give growing cayenne a go this year?
It’s easy, rewarding, and a fantastic way to spice up your cooking!
Note of caution: As with everything in life, consume in moderation, as excessive intake may cause stomach irritation or worsen conditions like acid reflux. If you’re new to spicy foods, start with small amounts and build your tolerance gradually.
Enjoy cayenne chilli peppers as part of a balanced diet to reap their health benefits!