I was so annoyed that I didn't plant chilli before I left for Tassie. I am addicted to making hot sauce too - I do a fermented version. We may have spoken about it before.
My chilli always have had most success in the wicking beds, so in my experience, water helps, and I think they like very fertile soil so topping up with compost or fertilizer (I do comfrey and broad leaf weeds and nettles rotted down in water) seems to help.
My last hot sauce was made with jalapeno from the Feed Me Surfcoast shop (it gets excess food destined for landfill and you pay by donation). In the absence of carrot or celery I fermented them with beetroot and spring onion. It's not bad but I reckon I'll add some raspberry to it as I think it'll lift the beetroot a little.
I love garlic heavy hot sauce. Spring onion sounds like a good addition, and easy to grow, too :)
I've got some liquid seaweed fertiliser. They tend to also enjoy the odd banana peel chopped up. (From when I had one in a pot at my old house - the chilli, not the banana)