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Site: Sow in a heated greenhouse/polytunnel a heated propagator. heating mat or a warm place in the house. A constant temperature at between 27°C 30°C is the ideal although some may grow above 21°C but germination will be more erratic.
When: January to April.
How: Use a loam-based seed & potting on compost as chillies like good drainage. Either sow a few seeds 5mm deep in a seed tray, or 1 -2 seeds into a module or small pot, and cover with compost. When the seed has grown 2 true leaves pot on into 9cm pat. When the chilli plant reaches a height at 8-15cm finally pot into a 3/4L pot or into the ground it there is open soil in your greenhouse / polytunnel.

Care: Water from top and when the plant reaches 20cm high pinch out the tip to encourage the plant to bush out. When the plant begins to fruit, water once a week with a potassium rich teed Pick fruit regularly to encourage more pods to grow. Larger varieties will need staking. Harvest: Usually August to October although it con be slightly earlier and can carry on till December it conditions are suitable.
Enjoy: Enjoy your Chilli crop, but be careful with the hotter varieties

If you can make your plants survive over winter they will have a massive head start over any plants you try and grow from seed. The main advantage will be the root structures will already be large and developed. This will mean they will generally produce much higher yields of fruit, and fruit for longer in subsequent years. This can be particularly useful for varieties such as naga or habanero that can have a very short fruiting season in their first years.

How to overwinter your chilli plants
1. Assuming you are like most people available space (away from frosts) such as in the greenhouse or conservatory will be limited so only choose your best looking, healthiest chilli plants to over winter. Of the 5 main species of chilli pubescens tend to fare better however all will work if you treat them well and have a bit of luck. As a rule it is best to over winter plants that take longer to fruit such as habaneros.
2. Only attempt to overwinter your strongest looking plants as weaker plants will have a much lower survival rate. When night time temperatures fall (to around 10 degrees) you should start thinking about preparing your plants for the winter. In the Almeria Region of Spain Night temperatures rarely drop below 10 c but in land we have seen 0 degrees in late December to early January. so we recommend December & January you protect your plants from frost .
3. Be sure to remove any chillies from your plants as you do not want to waste any! If the plants have unripe fruit then you can try and ripen them off the plant.
4. Pruning. To increase the chance of survival it is best to give your plants a sever pruning back as winter closes in. Prune back each plant so you only leave about 10-15cm of the main stem. This seems extremely harsh however it ensures your chilli plant will not waste any energy trying to maintain foliage or fruit instead saving it for it’s battle for survival over the winter.
5. Repotting. After trimming back your chilli plants it can be a good idea to remove them from the pot, shake off the root ball slightly and repot using some fresh compost. This will help the plant grow back healthier in the spring. If your plants are in large pots (bigger than 30cm) you can also trim back the roots slightly and pot into a smaller pot to help concentrate the energy.
6. As you will have learned already chilli plants like heat. You will increase their chances of survival massively if you move the plants inside a greenhouse (if they are not in one already). This will help keep the roots warm and protect them from frost. A sunny windowsill is ideal.
7. As is the case during the summer it is best to avoid over watering your chilli plants in winter. Remember that because of the lower temperatures it will take much longer for them to use the water you give them. As a result water much less frequently than in the summer to avoid mold building up. Check them once a week and only water if necessary, maybe as little as every 2-3 weeks.
8. Be patient. When spring come round it can take a few weeks before the plants spring back into life and new growth forms. However when they do they will already have a nice big strong root structure formed that will enable them to fruit long before any plants you are starting from seed.