Solar Flare Red - Chilli

Capsicum annuum

Story: This pepper is touted as being one of the ten chilli varieties sent into space in a study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences with the goal of encouraging genetic mutations faster and developing new open pollinated varieties. And it seems to have worked! This is by far the most productive chilli variety we have ever grown - and we grew it outside in London  - try it grown in a greenhouse, windowsill or outside and  let us know how it grew for you. The flavour of the flesh is quite mild/almost sweet compared to most chillies but the seeds pack a spicy punch so it is perfect for those who love the flavour of chillies but don't want extreme heat. 

PLEASE NOTE: When we grew this pepper out we found it grew in two distinct versions - one was the orange, slender chilli we were expecting and the other was red and chunkier with thicker flesh so we decided to split the seeds into two distinct versions - Red Solar Flare and Orange Solar Flare. When saving seeds, please rogue/select only one colour - in this case, only seed save from red fruited plants and make that distinction when sending seed back.

Sow: From mid-February to early April indoors in pots or seed trays of seed compost.

Requirements: Free draining, rich soil, and full sun.

Seed contributors: Omved Gardens

When to Harvest for eating: Late summer/early autumn. When the fruit turns from pale yellow to peach.

When to harvest for seed: Around the same time as for eating - late summer/early autumn though be sure to let them become fully ripe on the plant and develop a full peachy coloured.

Isolation Needed: Yes

Saving Seed: Peppers have 'perfect' flowers meaning they contain both male and  female parts that can fertilise themselves. However pollen can also travel on insects and cause cross pollination. The isolation distance for  preventing cross pollination is recommended at 100m. For this reason it is best to only grow one variety of pepper  or chilli in any one area if you plan to save seeds  -  such as growing one variety on a windowsill and one in a greenhouse - this will reduce the chance of cross pollination massively. Allow fruits to fully ripen on the plant, cut open and scoop out seeds (use gloves for chillies) then lay the seeds out to dry fully. Label, package and date.

Number of plants to save seeds from: 1 plants minimum, 3 or more is ideal

Pollination: Self pollinated and insect

How to send seed back: Please label all seed with variety, type, date and your contact. If you didn't get a chance to fill out our online data collection form, you can also send us a few lines about how it grew for you/flavour etc. Please aim to send back 1 tablespoon of dried seed or more so that we can continue to share with network members. Send to: The Seed Saving Network, Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF.

Please remember, if you’re an individual grower you can order up to 4 packets of seeds. If you order more than this, you will receive just four packs to begin with. This is to ensure we get plenty of data in return and to keep our stocks sustainable for years to come.* 

*Community groups and Experienced Growers can order larger quantities, please email us if this is the case.

If an item is out of stock we will send a close alternative.