Garage Gardening

There is not much in the garden for me to write about at present, so I thought I might just give a mention to my garage, which is currently doing duty as a chilli greenhouse. "Greenhouse" is hardly the right word though, because the garage is pretty gloomy. But it does have a side window, and I have arranged next to this a big wooden potting-bench, on which there are now four chilli plants and a few other bits and bobs - such as some herb and Geranium cuttings.
Conditions in the garage are therefore not ideal for the chillis, but they are certainly a lot better than being outside. At least the plants are relatively warm and definitely shielded from the wind.
Here you can see my "Alberto's Locoto" Rocoto chilli:

"Alberto's Locoto" Rocoto

It is big and straggly (and losing many of its leaves), but its fruits are finally ripening.

Rocoto

I have picked some of the ones that are beginning to go red, and I have taken them indoors to ripen fully in the warmth. Once they start showing some red I know it will only be a few days before they are fully ripe.

Rocoto

Next door to the Rocoto is one of my "Aji Limon" plants (I have 3). It's fruits too are ripening at last. There are a fair few of them, and yet again the garage has meant that I have been able to keep this plant going long enough to ripen fruit that would otherwise probably not have made it to maturity. I have found that Aji Limon is usually one of the last to ripen.

Aji Limon

Aji Limon

The top shelf of the potting-bench is hard to photograph in the low light:

Up there are two more chilli plants. I lifted them down to photograph them for you. The short one is "Calico", with its variegated foliage and purple (eventually red) fruits.

Calico

Calico

The tall one is the Nosferatu / Cayenne hybrid we nicknamed "Nosferatu Green Leaf", on account of the fact that its foliage is much greener than that of a normal Nosferatu. The fruits are Nosferatu colour, but Cayenne shape. None of them have turned red yet, but I expect they will eventually.

Nosferatu Green Leaf

So there you have it - my "greenhouse substitute". My ambition is to one day have a polytunnel, so you just wait...!