I have been really interested in growing a bonchi. The idea of combining something tasty and something pretty really appeals to me. However I have a few questions that I hope the chili experts can answer.
- Is it possible to grow a decent bonchi on the windowsill without adding artificial light? I live in Denmark and the windowsill is facing south east. Having a bulb on 16 hours a day is expensive and not a pretty thing to have in a living room (I think my girlfriend would kill me if I installed a LED grow light ;D).
- When there is no artificial light to help growth, can I start my bonchi project now or would I have to wait planting the seeds until next season?
- What cultivars would you recommend. I would like to fuse a few different cultivars together by braiding. Ideally I would like both mild and hot cultivars that taste good, looks pretty as bonchi and who are hard to kill.
I hope you can help me with my questions.
Hi and welcome to the world of growing :)
If i were you i would chill for this season, do some more research on the different species, finding the seeds that matches your needs etc. Then start the seeds off early next year (Jan/Feb/Mar or so[Some swear to putting seeds down already in Nov/Dec though]) The plants grow nicely in a sunny windowsill in Denmark without extra lighting (That's how i grow them) And by the end of next years season you'll cut it down and start working it into bonchi.
I've done little reading about fusing, i hear it is supposed to be hard to pull off though. But that just makes it even more interesting, right? =)
As with varieties, Probably something with small pods. It all comes down to personal preference though.
To sum up; You should try it, you'll see that it is a great journey and you will learn by doing.
Try looking for "Den lille stærke om chili" which is a danish book about chilies by Lene tvedegaard @ your local library. (http://bibliotek.dk/hvilke_biblioteker.php?vrk_recid=%28lid%3D27243010+og+lok%3D870970%29+eller+%28lid%3D25716124+og+lok%3D870970%29&bib_nr=) It has some good info, might help =)
Also if you haven't already, you should check out the articles @ Fatalii's growing guide (http://www.fatalii.net/growing/)