{"product_id":"birds-eye-baby-chilli","title":"Birds Eye Baby Chilli","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCapsicum annuum 'Bird's Eye Baby'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe compact, container-perfect bird's eye — a little plant with a big kick\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA tiny powerhouse of a chilli, and one of the most charming little plants you can grow. Bird's Eye Baby is a true miniature — a small, dense, neatly bushy plant clothed in masses of tiny leaves, the \"Baby\" in its name all about that diminutive, compact habit. It's so small and well-proportioned that it's a favourite for growing as a chilli bonsai, and it's perfectly at home in a little pot on a sunny windowsill or a bright shelf indoors. Yet for all its modest size, it crops with real abandon, studding itself with dozens of small, upright, fiery pods through the season — an ornamental first and foremost, but a surprisingly useful kitchen chilli too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe pods are small, plump little upright cones — fat at the base and tapering to a neat point, only a couple of centimetres long — standing proudly erect above the foliage rather than dangling, and ripening from glossy green through deep purplish-brown to a vivid, glossy red. A well-grown plant carries all those colours at once, the bright pods scattered like little flames over the dense green leaves, and the effect is genuinely beautiful — this is a chilli you'd happily grow for looks alone. The heat, though, is the proper bird's eye business: a clean, sharp, properly hot kick at around 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville units, with a fresh, bright flavour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt belongs to \u003cem\u003eCapsicum annuum\u003c\/em\u003e — the easygoing species of jalapeños and cayennes — which makes it more straightforward and quicker to grow than the slow, warmth-hungry superhots. It's genuinely easy and forgiving, and one of the best chillies of all for a beginner or a child's first windowsill pot: tiny, tidy, undemanding, and endlessly productive of those cheerful little pods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e(A quick note for the curious: this is the small-plant \u003cem\u003eannuum\u003c\/em\u003e Thai-style bird's eye, distinct from our African Bird's Eye, which is a taller \u003cem\u003efrutescens\u003c\/em\u003e piri piri type. Both are wonderful — this one is the compact, container-friendly one for smaller spaces.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA note on growing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSow indoors from February to April, about six to eight weeks before the last expected frost. As an \u003cem\u003eannuum\u003c\/em\u003e it germinates more readily than the superhots — a heated propagator or warm windowsill at 22–28°C will usually see seedlings up within one to three weeks. Sow on the surface or barely covered, and keep the compost moist but not wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePrick out into 9cm pots once the seedlings have two true leaves, and grow on in good light at a minimum of 18–20°C to keep them sturdy. Pot on into a final pot — and here the Bird's Eye Baby really shines, because its compact habit means it's perfectly happy in a relatively modest container on a sunny windowsill, balcony, or patio. It can be grown outdoors in the warmest, most sheltered, sunniest spot once all danger of frost has passed in late May or June, or kept under glass or indoors for an earlier, more reliable crop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWater consistently and feed weekly with a high-potash tomato food once the first flowers set. Pinch out the growing tip early to encourage a bushy, branching, even-heavier-cropping plant. Harvest from midsummer into autumn: pick the pods green for a sharper, fresher heat, or leave them to ripen fully red for a rounder, slightly hotter flavour. Regular picking keeps the plant producing right through to the first frosts — and a single plant produces a great many little chillies. As with any hot chilli, it's sensible to wash your hands after handling the cut fruit and to keep it away from your eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere it shines\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFirst and foremost, this is an ornamental — a plant grown for the sheer charm of a tiny, leafy bush hung with upright, multi-coloured little pods. It makes a lovely windowsill or table plant, a bright spot on an indoor shelf, and an excellent candidate for chilli bonsai, where its naturally small leaves and dense habit really come into their own. But don't overlook the kitchen: those little pods carry a proper hot bird's eye kick and are genuinely useful. Use them fresh and finely sliced in stir-fries, curries, noodle dishes, and dipping sauces, or dry them — they're so small they dry in no time — and crush them into chilli flakes or a fiery powder. A few pods are enough to bring real heat to a dish, so even this little plant keeps a keen cook well supplied.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHowever you use it, it's a charmer — a neat, tidy little jewel of a plant, equally at home on a kitchen windowsill, a bright indoor shelf, a bonsai bench, or among the pots on a sunny patio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeat:\u003c\/strong\u003e hot, 50,000–100,000 SHU — a clean, sharp bird's eye kick\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLooks:\u003c\/strong\u003e highly ornamental — multi-coloured upright pods over tiny leaves; a favourite chilli bonsai\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlant:\u003c\/strong\u003e a true miniature — tiny, dense and bushy with small leaves; ideal for little pots, windowsills, indoors and chilli bonsai\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFruit:\u003c\/strong\u003e small, plump, upright cone-shaped pods, ripening green through dark purple-brown to red\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSow:\u003c\/strong\u003e February to April, 22–28°C\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e midsummer to autumn, green or red\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEasier to grow\u003c\/strong\u003e than the superhots — quick annuum, no greenhouse essential\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian cooking; drying for flakes and powder\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant alongside\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChillies do well with companions that draw in pollinators and help keep pests down. Plant alongside \u003ca href=\"\/products\/french-marigold-spanish-brocade\"\u003eFrench Marigold 'Spanish Brocade'\u003c\/a\u003e to deter aphids and whitefly, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/calendula-neon-seeds\"\u003eCalendula 'Neon'\u003c\/a\u003e to attract beneficial predators. Basil — especially Thai basil — is a classic companion that enjoys the same warmth and sun, and makes a natural culinary partner for Southeast Asian cooking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54424279482701,"sku":"sku-57303859462521","price":2.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0828\/6961\/6973\/files\/birds-eye-baby-chilli-bishy-barnabees-cottage-garden-5_0cd231d9-4ec7-4013-a737-3ff91fa355a1.jpg?v=1785352722","url":"https:\/\/thefoalyard.co.uk\/products\/birds-eye-baby-chilli","provider":"The Foalyard","version":"1.0","type":"link"}