The increasing influence of ethnic foods in the nation’s diet is expanding the niche market for chilli peppers, which can be grown in the UK between June and September.

Tozers Seeds, the UK’s last remaining independent seed breeder and distributor at Cobham, Surrey, plans to tap into that demand by increasing the scale of its trials nursery, currently using Spanish tunnels at nearby Ockham, to include a glasshouse.

“Apart from meeting the demands of supermarket buyers, a further bonus for growers in using glasshouses is that while plants are sensitive to cold and have to be protected, they are surprisingly free of diseases,” said David Rogers, sales manager for Tozer’s Seeds

“Sowing under cover takes place in early February to late March. Later botrytis can occur if conditions are favourable, but careful plant husbandry can usually avoid the problem,“ he added.

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