Chilli challenge

Hold a chilli challenge contest and learn how you can make money from the plants you have grown.

Chilli challenge
Chilli challenge
Learning objectives:
  • Learn that food come from plants
  • Gather information about the needs and wants of user groups
  • Use IT to develop and communicate ideas
Curriculum links:
  • Science: Learn about plant growth, care, and spice production
  • Maths: Calculate costs, profits, and quantities for fundraising
  • PSHE: Encourage teamwork, enterprise, and creativity
  • English: Develop advertising materials and compile a recipe booklet
  • Design & Technology: Create care cards and recipes for chillies

Jump to

Key vocabulary

Chilli | Seed | Germination | Compost | Watering | Harvest | Capsaicin | Growth

Project outline

Your aim is to sow and grow good quality chilli plants to sell to your teachers and school staff and later hold an in-house competition to see who can produce the most chillies. Judge which plant is best in show and charge a small fee for each plant that enters. Challenge the bravest of your teachers to eat a whole chilli. Another idea could be asking for chilli recipes and judging the produce i.e. chilli chutney, chilli salsa, etc. The best recipes could be compiled into a chilli recipe booklet. This can then be sold to fundraise.

Step by step

  1. Sow and grow the chillies in pots and take orders from teachers and staff. Choose different chilli varieties such as jalapeno, scotch bonnet, padron, De Cayenne, lemon drop or prairie fire and much more. Choose them for colour, heat or size
  2. Once the chilli plants are established and there is a strong root system the plants are ready to sell and distribute to the teachers and staff. Make care cards (instructions) to accompany the plants. Set a date for the chilli challenge show a few months away (at the end of the summer term is ideal). Make sure the teachers and staff bring their chilli plants in for the show
  3. Advertise the show. Use your advertising to remind people of the challenge day and the different categories within it. You could include categories such as the weirdest shaped chilli, the biggest chilli or the plant with the least number of chillies and much more. Decide who is going to judge the different categories so make sure they are impartial
  4. On show day itself, count the chillies on each plant. The person with the most chillies wins (make sure there is no cheating!). Host the chilli eating challenge and other category competitions
  5. Using bought chillies or chillies from your plants make chilli flavoured treats. Taste the chilli inspired produce and decide the winner, produce can also be sold at this time
  6. Collect the chilli recipes together and produce the booklet to sell

Hint and tips

  • Think about cost and profit. How much did the chillies cost to produce? How much will you sell them for?
  • Consider advertising and the local ‘market’. Who will you sell to?
  • Make sure it is clear from the start what you are fundraising for

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