Charleston Hot and Autopick ?

barkeater · December 15, 2007

Has anyone grown either of these varieties before?

Charleston Hot - Its supposed to be a cayenne type, 15X hotter than a jalapeno. Is it thin-walled for easy drying, and as hot as advertised? Productive?

Autopick - Described as a "fiery hot" chile, but is it?

obispo45 · December 28, 2007

I grew Autopick in 2006. Nothing real special IMO. Wasn't super duper hot......but taste/heat sense is pretty subjective I guess. Remember them being hotter than the "average" jalapeno but below the "average" serrano. Cool thing about them though was that they were very productive, larger than average size plants and when ripe.....the stem remained on the plant while the fruit came off easily. Hence the name Autopick. All in all not a bad choice. I said "nothing special" earlier....but I'm a self-proclaimed hot pepper critic and just speak my biased mind...LOL!! Give it a shot especially in the Green Mountain State w/weather similar to here.

Don't get me going on Charleston Hot, OK!!!! LOL!! For reasons unknown right from the get go I was eager to grow this cultivar. I have grown C.Hot in 06' and 07'. First off, the foliage is cool. Almost a teal/yellowish hue or something like that. Just how they are.....not a nutrient deficiency. Here in pots in MN they are like 90 DTM. BUT...I have found them rather obstinate, they are tempermental at least for me. They are hot, but nowhere near as hot as a stressed habanero plant's fruit....they yield well, taste good and the fruits are pretty. Seedlings start out gangly looking and take a while to mature. I have heaped ALL kinds of attention on this cultivar. Yes...it is disease and pest resistant without question, never had any prob. In the end they do well for me....but sowing date(usually 3/15ish) till mid August they irritate me and take up space....THEN they make due so to speak. Try it....its worth a shot. Just don't give up too early if you decide to grow em'. Just my 2 cents. Happy New Year! Whoooops...forgot!! They dry very well!

barkeater · December 30, 2007

Thanks for the great info! I'm now looking forward to growing them in '08.

December 15, 2007	#1
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Charleston Hot and Autopick ? Has anyone grown either of these varieties before? Charleston Hot - Its supposed to be a cayenne type, 15X hotter than a jalapeno. Is it thin-walled for easy drying, and as hot as advertised? Productive? Autopick - Described as a "fiery hot" chile, but is it?

December 28, 2007	#2
obispo45 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SE Minnesota Zone 4.51a Posts: 139	I grew Autopick in 2006. Nothing real special IMO. Wasn't super duper hot......but taste/heat sense is pretty subjective I guess. Remember them being hotter than the "average" jalapeno but below the "average" serrano. Cool thing about them though was that they were very productive, larger than average size plants and when ripe.....the stem remained on the plant while the fruit came off easily. Hence the name Autopick. All in all not a bad choice. I said "nothing special" earlier....but I'm a self-proclaimed hot pepper critic and just speak my biased mind...LOL!! Give it a shot especially in the Green Mountain State w/weather similar to here. Don't get me going on Charleston Hot, OK!!!! LOL!! For reasons unknown right from the get go I was eager to grow this cultivar. I have grown C.Hot in 06' and 07'. First off, the foliage is cool. Almost a teal/yellowish hue or something like that. Just how they are.....not a nutrient deficiency. Here in pots in MN they are like 90 DTM. BUT...I have found them rather obstinate, they are tempermental at least for me. They are hot, but nowhere near as hot as a stressed habanero plant's fruit....they yield well, taste good and the fruits are pretty. Seedlings start out gangly looking and take a while to mature. I have heaped ALL kinds of attention on this cultivar. Yes...it is disease and pest resistant without question, never had any prob. In the end they do well for me....but sowing date(usually 3/15ish) till mid August they irritate me and take up space....THEN they make due so to speak. Try it....its worth a shot. Just don't give up too early if you decide to grow em'. Just my 2 cents. Happy New Year! Whoooops...forgot!! They dry very well! Last edited by obispo45; December 28, 2007 at 10:46 PM. Reason: left somethin' out

December 30, 2007	#3
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Thanks for the great info! I'm now looking forward to growing them in '08.