Green chillies contain plenty of vitamin C, and they are hugely important in everyday cooking. Chillies are a favourite with lovers of hot food; many people eat them not only in cooking but on the side with meals. So here is when to grow them.
Choosing the land
To grow chillies, first choose suitable soil or land. Loam soil with plenty of light and air, and with irrigation and drainage, suits chillies.
Sowing times
For the winter crop, seed is sown in the Bengali months of Bhadra-Ashwin, and for the rainy-season crop in Falgun-Chaitra. In the Kharif-1 season, sow from 1 to 30 Falgun (15 February to 15 March). In the Kharif-2 season, sow in Srabon-Bhadra (15 July to 15 September). In the Rabi season, September-October is the right time. Plough the land well, harrow it, pick out the weeds and make seedbeds of 3 x 1 metres to sow the seed. Depending on the variety, sow 10-15 grams of seed per decimal.
Preparing the field
Depending on the soil type, plough and harrow 4-6 times. The first ploughing should be deep. Keep 12-inch-wide channels for irrigation. Apply fertiliser at the last ploughing. Seedlings are ready to transplant when they are 10 centimetres tall. Plant them 24-28 inches between rows and 12-16 inches between plants.
Weed control
To control weeds, clear the land well by ploughing and harrowing, use pure seed and use clean farm equipment. Weed within 25-30 days of sowing, and weed before irrigating.
Weather and disasters
If too much water collects in the field after heavy rain, dig channels to drain it quickly. In the Rabi season, cover the seedbeds to protect seedlings from low temperatures (below 15 degrees Celsius).
Yield and storage
Depending on the variety, the yield is 40-50 kg per decimal. After drying, cool the chillies in a shaded place, taking care that the stalks do not come away from the chillies. For storage of 6 months to 1 year, tin containers, polybags, clay pots, dulis or sackcloth bags are used. Keeping chillies in double-layered polythene bags, or in tin containers lined with polythene, preserves their colour and quality. Stored chillies should be put out in the sun from time to time.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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