How to Dry Chillies and Herbs: Drying Nets, Airflow and Storage

Chillies and herbs keep for months once they are properly dry, and a simple way to dry them indoors is in a single layer on a hanging net, in the dark, with gentle air moving past. This guide covers when to pick, where and how to dry them, keeping the air moving while they hang, and storing the crop. Our drying nets are in the tools section, with the scissors and storage bags to go with them.

When to pick chillies and herbs for drying

Pick chillies once they have fully coloured, and cut them off with a short stalk rather than pulling. Gardeners commonly cut herbs just before they flower, when the leaves have most flavour. Wear gloves for hot chillies and keep your hands away from your eyes: the All Purpose Gloves come in latex or vinyl, large only.

Use clean, sharp scissors. The Chikamasa PST-8 Pruning Shears are spring-loaded stainless shears with a lock and a non-stick coating, listed on their page for pruning, de-leafing and harvesting. The Chikamasa B-600H Scissors have fine tips for close work and are listed for harvesting, their page says; we find them handy for snipping chillies off one at a time.

Where to dry: dark, room temperature, dry and airy

This is our general practice rather than a maker's figure: dark, ordinary room temperature, dry air and gentle movement. Dark, because light fades colour and flavour. Room temperature, because heat drives off the oils that give herbs their flavour, while a cold room slows drying until mould wins. Moving air, because grey mould (botrytis) likes still, humid air, as our powdery mildew guide says.

A grow tent zipped shut is dark, and the Garden HighPro Prodry 55cm Drying Net was designed with grow tents in mind, its page says; our advice is an empty tent, because growing plants give off moisture. A spare room works too, with a fan and a hygrometer, or a large cupboard with the door left ajar so the damp air the crop gives off can get out.

Drying nets and the kit to go with them

The Garden HighPro Prodry 55cm Drying Net and Garden HighPro Prodry 90cm Drying Net pages give the same instructions: spread the crop in a single layer on each tier and leave space for air to move; gentle airflow and steady humidity give an even dry. Which net? The 90 cm net gives more drying space per tier and the 55 cm net suits smaller tents, the 90 cm page says; a net needs more than its own width to hang in, so check your tent against the 55 or 90 cm diameter.

How to dry chillies

1. Sort them. Only sound fruit goes on the net; anything split or soft is for the kitchen.
2. Whole or halved? Thin-walled chillies dry whole and are the ones a net suits best. Thick-fleshed ones hold a lot of water and often rot before they dry, so our advice is to halve them lengthways, keep the fan on them and check them more often.
3. Single layer, not touching, so air reaches every side.
4. Hang the net in the dark with a clip fan moving air past it, not blasting it.
5. Check every few days. Turn the fruit and take out any that go soft or show mould.
6. Done when brittle, with no give when squeezed and the seeds rattling in a whole fruit: as a rule of thumb, allow a couple of weeks or more for thin-walled chillies and longer for halved thick-fleshed ones, and go by feel, not the calendar.

How to dry herbs

1. Cut whole stems from dry plants, in the morning once any dew has gone. Woody-stemmed herbs dry best this way; soft, fleshy-leaved ones tend to lose their flavour dried and are usually frozen instead. Do not wash them unless you must; if you do, pat them dry.
2. Single layer on the tiers. Strip large leaves off thick stems first, so everything dries at the same rate.
3. Dark and airy again, with the fan on its lowest setting, or the leaves blow about.
4. Done when the leaves crumble between your fingers and the stems snap: as a rule of thumb, one to two weeks. Store the leaves whole and crumble them as you cook.

Keep the air moving and dry while they hang

A clip fan moves the air past the net, but the Cloudray page says you still need an extractor to change it, so run the extractor low. In a room, a floor fan moves the air and a door left ajar changes it.

Put a hygrometer by the net and watch the overnight high: warm air can hold more water than cool air, as our grow tent humidity guide explains, so the reading climbs as the room cools at night with nothing added. Our rule of thumb is the lower and steadier the humidity the better, and an overnight high that is higher each night is the sign to run the extractor longer or add a dehumidifier. The humidity guide also compares the hygrometers and dehumidifiers we sell.

How to store dried chillies and herbs

Dry means dry: anything with moisture left in it is likely to mould once sealed, so if in doubt give it a few more days on the net. The Vacuum Storage Bags work with most standard vacuum sealers (you need your own sealer). Their page says to make sure the produce is dry before it goes in, lay it flat, leave a few centimetres clear below the open end, then seal. For smaller amounts, an airtight tub in a dark cupboard does the job. Keep chillies whole and grind them as you cook: whole keeps its flavour longer. Label and date each batch; if anything softens in the bag it was not dry, so back on the net.

Quick answers

How long do chillies take to dry?

As a rule of thumb, a couple of weeks or more on a net for thin-walled chillies, longer for thick-fleshed ones, which are best halved. Done when brittle and the seeds rattle.

Can I dry chillies in a grow tent?

Yes: hang the net from a roof bar, zip the tent shut, keep a clip fan moving the air and run the extractor low. Our advice is an empty tent.

What is a drying net?

A hanging stack of mesh tiers, 8 on both Prodry nets, with air all round the crop; the 55 cm page calls it a chilli and herb drying net. The semi-closed 55 cm net moves without the crop falling out, its page says.

How do I store dried chillies?

Whole, in a vacuum bag or an airtight tub, in a dark cupboard, once they are completely dry. Grind them as you need them.

More Growers' Guides

• Growing chillies indoors
• Growing herbs, salad leaves and microgreens indoors in winter
• Grow tent humidity: how to lower or raise it
• Airflow, temperature and humidity in a grow room

Not sure what you need? Call the shop on 0117 971 3000 or pop in to the Bristol store and we'll help you pick.