Kiwi gardens heat up as more gardeners opt for chilli bushes

Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Ltd

For immediate release

28 January 2016

Kiwi gardens heat up as more gardeners opt for chilli bushes

New Zealand’s leading home improvement retailer Mitre 10 is seeing the popularity of chilli bushes rise this summer as Kiwis try their hand at growing their own spices.

The company has seen already seen a double digit increase on sales from this time last year, despite late February being when chilli sales typically peak – a sign that New Zealanders are getting to grips with the high-yield, low-maintenance crop.

Mitre 10 General Manager Marketing Dave Elliott has a number of theories as to why chilli bushes are experiencing an explosion of popularity.

“Kiwis are a lot more conscious of where their food is coming from,” Dave said. They are favouring fresh produce and realising the efficiency of home-grown herbs and vegetables. It’s actually very simple to give it a go at home and a lot more convenient to have a ready supply of your commonly used, or favourite, herbs and spices at hand.

“It’s also a reflection of our culture. We’re increasingly diverse and so are our lives, right down to what we’re cooking. Nowadays cuisine that was once somewhat exotic is commonplace, and so we are cooking with a greater variety of ingredients and experimenting with different flavours – chilli is particularly popular for that.

“Added to this is the fact that chillis are very easy to grow, whether they’re in a container or a garden. They’re relatively pest- and disease-resistant and they’re a high-yielding crop. They’ve got all the ingredients for a popular plant.”

Dave also has advice for gardeners wanting to try growing chilli bushes for themselves.

“You’ve got to wait until after the final frost to plant them, so anytime from late September through until February is fine, and typically the harvest is late summer through to early autumn.

“The plants need to be north-facing as they like plenty of sunshine, and you need to be careful not to overdo the watering. They need staking as they mature – sheep pallets and nitrogen are great means of keeping them well fed. Also while they’re typically treated as annuals they are actually perennials so with the right care, and in warm regions, their life can be extended for a second season.

“We’ve got a really strong range at Mitre 10, with lots of different sizes and temperatures of chillis to suit everyone’s tastes.”

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