How to Grow Chillies on Your Balcony in Spain

Your own Mexican chilli garden in Spain

If you live in Spain and cook Mexican food, you know how hard it is to find good-quality fresh chillies. The pickled jalapeños from the supermarket do not compare with a chilli freshly cut from the plant, with that intense herbaceous aroma and that lively heat that only fresh chilli has.

The good news: the Spanish climate is perfect for growing Mexican chillies. In fact, Spain has conditions more similar to many regions of Mexico than you imagine. With a sunny balcony, a few pots and a little patience, you can have your own harvest of jalapeños, serranos, habaneros and even chillies de árbol.

This guide takes you step by step from seed to harvest, with tips specific to the climate and conditions of Spain.

Which Mexican chillies can you grow in Spain?

Almost all Mexican chillies grow well in Spain, but some are easier than others for beginners:

For beginners (easy to grow)

• Jalapeño: The most rewarding. It produces abundant fruit, tolerates the Spanish heat well and is resistant to disease. Each plant can give 25 to 35 chillies per season.
• Serrano: Similar to the jalapeño but more compact. Perfect for medium pots. It produces smaller chillies but in greater quantity.
• Chilli de árbol: An upright plant that takes up little horizontal space. The chillies can be used fresh or sun-dried to keep them all year.
• Poblano/Ancho: Needs a large pot (minimum 15 litres) but produces large, fleshy chillies perfect for stuffed chillies.

For experienced growers

• Habanero: Needs a lot of heat and a long season. It works best in southern Spain (Andalusia, Murcia, the Levante) or in a greenhouse. It takes longer to ripen but each plant produces 30 to 50 chillies.
• Chilaca (fresh pasilla): A large plant that needs a stake. The chillies are long and can be dried to make pasilla chillies.
• Manzano/Rocoto: The chilli of the Mexican highlands. Curiously, it prefers cooler climates, so it works well in northern Spain.

When to sow according to your zone in Spain

Timing is crucial for chillies. They need heat to germinate and a long, warm season to produce fruit.

• Mediterranean zone (Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Murcia): Sow indoors in February, transplant outdoors in April to May. Harvest from July to October.
• Central zone (Madrid, Castile): Sow indoors in January to February (late frosts are a risk). Transplant after the last frosts (mid-May). Harvest from July to September.
• Northern zone (Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country): Sow indoors in January. Consider using a greenhouse or protection against excessive rain. The chillies that work best here are jalapeño and serrano.
• Southern zone (Andalusia, the Canary Islands): The premium zone for growing chillies. You can sow from January and the season extends into November. Here the habanero thrives without problems.

Materials you need

You do not need much to start. Here is the complete list:

• Seeds: Buy from specialist nurseries or extract seeds from fresh chillies from Mexican shops. The seeds of dried chilli (guajillo, ancho) also germinate, although with a lower success rate.
• Pots: Minimum 10 litres for jalapeños and serranos, 15 to 20 litres for poblanos and habaneros. Drainage holes are obligatory.
• Substrate: A mix of universal substrate (70%) + perlite (20%) + worm humus (10%). Chillies need good drainage.
• Seed tray: Cell trays or recycled yoghurt pots with holes in the base.
• Fertiliser: Liquid feed for tomatoes (chillies have similar needs). Apply every 2 weeks during flowering and fruiting.

Step by step: from seed to harvest

Phase 1: Germination (weeks 1 to 3)

Fill the cells of the seed tray with moist substrate. Place 2 to 3 seeds per cell at 0.5cm depth. Cover with a thin layer of substrate and mist with water. Cover with cling film or a plastic lid to create a greenhouse effect.

Place the seed tray in a warm spot (25 to 30°C). On top of the fridge or near a radiator works. Germination takes 7 to 21 days depending on the variety. Habaneros are the slowest (up to 4 weeks).

Mexican trick: Soak the seeds in warm water with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours before sowing. This softens the coat and speeds up germination.

Phase 2: Growth (weeks 4 to 10)

When the seedlings have 4 to 6 true leaves, transplant to individual 1-litre pots. Place on a very sunny windowsill or under grow lights. Water when the substrate is dry to the touch (never waterlogged). Turn the pot every few days so the plant grows straight.

Phase 3: Transplant outdoors (weeks 10 to 12)

When night-time temperatures consistently exceed 15°C, it is time to transplant to the final pot on the balcony. Before taking them out, harden them off: put the plants outdoors for a few hours a day for a week, gradually increasing the exposure to direct sun.

Place the pots where they receive at least 6 hours of direct sun. A south or south-west aspect is ideal. Protect from strong wind with a windbreak if necessary.

Phase 4: Flowering and fruiting (weeks 12 to 20)

The plants will begin to flower with small white flowers. Each flower can become a chilli. Fertilise every 2 weeks with liquid tomato feed. Water generously but without waterlogging - in the height of the Spanish summer it may be necessary to water daily.

Common problem: The flowers drop without setting fruit. Causes: excess heat (>40°C), lack of watering, lack of pollination. To help pollination on a balcony, gently shake the plants or use a brush to transfer pollen between flowers.

Phase 5: Harvest (weeks 20 to 30)

Jalapeños are harvested green (when they are 7 to 8cm) or red (ripe, sweeter). Habaneros must ripen fully to orange or red to develop their characteristic fruity aroma. Cut with scissors leaving a little stem on the chilli.

A single well-cared-for jalapeño plant on a Madrid balcony can produce enough chillies to supply your Mexican recipes all summer long.

How to preserve your harvest

If your harvest is abundant (congratulations!), here are preservation options:

• Sun-drying: Thread the chillies on a string and hang them in the sun. In 2 to 3 weeks you will have homemade dried chillies. It works especially well with chillies de árbol and guajillos.
• Freezing: Wash, dry and freeze whole in bags. They last 6 months. They can be grated frozen straight over dishes.
• Pickling: Homemade pickled jalapeños with vinegar, carrot and onion. They last months in the fridge.
• Fermented sauce: Blend the chillies with salt (3% of the weight) and ferment in a glass jar for 1 to 2 weeks. You get a homemade sriracha-style sauce.
• Home smoking: If you have a barbecue, smoke ripe (red) jalapeños with holm oak wood to make your own chipotles.

Common pests and problems in Spain

Chillies in Spain are quite hardy, but watch out for:

• Aphids: Enemy number one. Treat it with potassium soap diluted in water. Check the underside of the leaves regularly.
• Red spider mite: Appears with dry heat. Mist the leaves with water to increase ambient humidity.
• Whitefly: Yellow sticky traps near the plants work very well as prevention.
• Heat stress: In extreme heatwaves (>40°C), protect the plants with shade netting during the middle hours of the day.

From your balcony to your Mexican kitchen

Growing your own chillies completely transforms your experience of cooking Mexican food. A jalapeño from the balcony has an aroma no supermarket chilli can match. Use them to make fresh salsas, guacamole, rajas with cheese or simply as a toreado side.

And if you have any to spare, trade them with other Mexicans in Spain - in the Facebook and WhatsApp groups for Mexicans in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities, homegrown fresh chillies are a much-prized currency. Find more Mexican ingredients in our directory of Mexican shops in Spain and explore Mexican restaurants near you.