Peppers!

[EBHarvey]

chilies need lots of heat, lots of time, and not a lot of moisture......a peat-only medium will almost always rot them, in my experience. equal parts peat, pearlite, and vermiculite works best for me, a tray of water between the heat mat or mats, and the seedling tray to help keep it evenly hot seems to really cut down on the variation in germination times, a good humidity dome with a blanket or towel over it to insulate, and frequent checks with a soil thermometer, and my germination times are generally down to 7 days and close to 100% germination success, even with notoriously difficult/slow to germinate varieties like the nagas, 7 pots, scorpions, etc.

totally different game than tomatoes!

[JJJessee]

Peppers tend not to set fruit in very hot condition possible because of pollen-kill or the whole flower is just sensitive maybe. The plant itself takes heat pretty well.

In my former professional life, I spent a lot of time on Avery Island, Louisiana. Avery Island is where the McIlhenny family originated Tabasco sauce. As I drove the gravel roads on the Island, I passed mile after mile of Tabasco pepper plants growing in the fields. If my memory is correct, in late June to mid July, the peppers were bright red and ready for harvest and fermentation. The hot, humid weather of southern Louisiana seemed perfect for growing the Tabasco plants. I understand most of their peppers are now grown in South America where the summer weather is even hotter.

New Mexico and the desert southwest of this country seem to produce the best Ancho pepper varieties.

The thicker walled sweet peppers like bell peppers seem to perform best in the milder climates found in the northern and northeastern states of this country and the elevated cooler zones along the west coast.

Those are simply my observations based on the climate zones of people who comment on gardening forums.

Ted

[drew51]

Originally Posted by tedln

In my former professional life, I spent a lot of time on Avery Island, Louisiana. Avery Island is where the McIlhenny family originated Tabasco sauce. As I drove the gravel roads on the Island, I passed mile after mile of Tabasco pepper plants growing in the fields. If my memory is correct, in late June to mid July, the peppers were bright red and ready for harvest and fermentation. The hot, humid weather of southern Louisiana seemed perfect for growing the Tabasco plants. I understand most of their peppers are now grown in South America where the summer weather is even hotter.

New Mexico and the desert southwest of this country seem to produce the best Ancho pepper varieties.

The thicker walled sweet peppers like bell peppers seem to perform best in the milder climates found in the northern and northeastern states of this country and the elevated cooler zones along the west coast.

Those are simply my observations based on the climate zones of people who comment on gardening forums.

Ted

Thanks for the info! Too bad I have little interest in bells. I need to grow hots and super hots over two seasons I think to get decent production. or even longer. We had a cool spring and the peppers kinda just sat. Now the weather is perfect, and they are growing again. next year I will keep them inside at night, longer than i did. I'm fairly new to growing peppers, and still trying to figure out what I like best too. I'll probably experiment for 5 years or longer, keeping good ones as I go along. I must say they are fun to grow. But you know so is everything else,, i just enjoy learning how to grow different food. i'll probably try different foods each year, figure out how to grow them best. I've grown tomatoes for awhile and got them down. Zone 5B/6a and i got my first Amana Orange ripe today! Harvesting cherry tomatoes for 2 weeks now.
I guess the wife wants to save the tomato for a salad in a couple of days. I'm starring at it, wanting just to slice it up, never tasted an Amana Orange! Nice easy plant to grow! Looks like a keeper so far! Fruits early here, if as good as some say, it's a keeper! I'll have another in a week, then a wait, as I got lucky getting a few early flowers to germinate with an electric tooth brush. One of my plants doesn't even have any fruit set, though it is still early for here. I usually grow new ones (to me), as I want try so many yet. I have a list of keepers.
Trying to find good paste tomatoes easy to grow, not much luck, but I'll keep trying.

[frankbenjones]

Originally Posted by b54red

Because they were so big there was no where for them to get bushier.

Bill

Wow! I'm going to have to grow them next year.

[frankbenjones]

Originally Posted by tedln

I've grown TAM Jalapenos in the past and they were as hot as any other Jalapeno in my garden. The last two years I've grown Big Guy and Mucho Nacho. They make much larger hot Jalapenos. My Fooled You Jalapenos are growing about eighteen inches from the hotter varieties and I can't detect any heat in them.

Ted

This year I grew TAM Jalapenos for my brother that can't handle the heat thinking they would be milder and they seem to be just as hot. I'll probably skip them next year and just grow Jalafuego. Haven't tried Big Guy or Mucho Nacho. I'm also growing Mariachi (not a Jalapeno). So far I've only tried one and it was definetly milder.