Amidst the bitter chill of January, gardening might seem an unlikely pursuit. Yet renowned gardening expert Monty Don suggests otherwise.
The BBC Gardeners’ World presenter has a New Year tradition of planting specific fruits – and eating them may even benefit cardiovascular health. In a post on his blog, he explained: “Chillies are always the first seeds that I sow in the new year. They can be slow to germinate and certainly need some heat, either on a heated bench or on a windowsill above a radiator.”
In addition to plenty of heat and light, the gardener advised against watering these plants after 5pm, as it can cause water-logging—something chillies generally dislike.
Monty first made the comments in the post in January 2024 – but the advice is still as true now as it was then. He said: “The secret of successful chilli growing – other than plenty of light and heat – is to allow each plant as much time and opportunity to become big and bushy, feeding it weekly with a high nitrogen fertiliser (I use home-made liquid nettle feed) until the first flower buds start to appear in June…
“…and then switching to a high potash feed (liquid seaweed or homemade comfrey feed are both ideal) to stimulate as many flowers and subsequent fruits as possible on what by now should be a large plant.”
While chillies are a popular ingredient in many dishes, experts suggest they could also provide numerous health benefits. Research conducted in China during 2015 found that consuming spicy food daily was associated with a ‘14% lower risk of death’.
The project examined data from over 500,000 adults across 10 regions, specifically highlighting a reduced risk of ischaemic heart disease and various respiratory conditions. Similar findings were published in a 2020 American Heart Association report, which demonstrated that chilli pepper consumption might ‘reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 26%’.
These results emerge at a time when cardiovascular disease ranks amongst the globe’s most deadly health issues, claiming around 170,000 deaths each year in the UK, according to the BHS.
Talking about the 2020 study, Dr Robert Shmerling of Harvard University, stressed previously: “If you like adding chilli pepper to your food, this latest report is reason to continue. But it’s too soon to say everyone should start consuming it regularly to improve their health.
“Additional research will be needed to confirm that the overall impact on health is positive. And if it is, we need to determine how much chilli pepper is best. And does the type of chili pepper matter? How long does it take to see a benefit?”
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