I grew 5 or 6 different spicy peppers this year. One is a jumbo jalapeno, big and flavorful. Not very hot. I notice a lot of heat difference in the different strains of jalapeno. I have brought plants up from seed, and I will notice a few different strains of jap from the same seed pack. I guess I am saying....not too controlled at packaging, imo. I would definitely keep seeds from any that please you, set yourself up for next year. Less of a roll of the dice.
The peppers are plenty hot enough for flavour, for me, but not rip your face off miss a day of school hot, especially the jalapenos. They are perfect for a guacamole, and I make a hot sauce/chutney with a bunch of the different, hotter peppers.
@Improper you make an interesting point about different strains being in the same seed pack. I really thought I used the same seeds as last time but maybe not. That's what I get for being disorganized. I definitely did save some seeds from those super hot jalapenos. I have a baggie that is dated but who knows if I saved them properly. I'll just have to try to grow them and see.
I mean heck yeah - it's always fun to see what happens! So, I mentioned that I am growing a pepper called Purple UFO. Hotter than a jap, thin walled, kind of uhhh......fruity tasting. Sweet ish? So I grabbed a bunch and made a mango salsa with them. For the record, I undershot on how many peppers to add, but I am now dialed in for next go.
This heat combined with the overall lack of rain has made gardening a pain in the ass this year. I haul water to the beds like always though. Things are growing pretty good for the most part. I've got onions going with no idea as to how to tell when they're ready to harvest, but family is coming this weekend and I'm sure someone will tell me. The spuds are doing well as far as I can tell. The heirloom plants I put in are finally taking off except for the eggplant which looks better, but it about to be overtaken by it's garden mates. My idea of cultivating and storing heirloom seeds long term will continue, but I also intend to buy a shitload of hybrids to have on hand in the event of a need for larger quantities. Hell, the beans I planted and will be eating this Summer came from seeds I've had for several years!
So I've been growing hot peppers for a few years here in Alberta. My main limitation is the growing season (and elevation) - longer season peppers like ghosts and other super hots are really challenging to get to ripen in time before the frost hits, even starting them indoors in the winter. I'd been trying ghosts for 3 years before I finally got a few peppers last year. Habs are hit and miss. It is possible to order seeds from varieties that are better adapted to a bit colder climates which tend to work a bit better. But what I have found is that a bit of water deprivation goes a long way when trying to up the heat. If you can restrain from watering a bit more than you think you should, you'll get hotter peppers. But it's also fine line between upping the heat with less watering and stressing the plants so much that the flowers drop off. There can also be a remarkable difference between individual peppers on the same plant in heat level. A couple of varieties I've had really good luck with - earlier season and really prolific: Sugar Rush Peach and Lemon Drop (aka Aji Lemon). Both of these are considerably hotter than jalapeños though. The Lemon Drops are rated between 15-30K Scoville and the Sugar Rush are rated at 80-150K Scoville.
@billy_2005 I think the watering conditions back in bama facilitated super hot jalapenos. I was very inconsistent with the watering. To be honest I abused the hell out of those plants. I have my supplies to set up a drip line and will make sure that I use the very small volume emitters for the peppers I want to have a little heat. I think it is probably important to keep the bell peppers a little better watered to make them meaty and sweet. I will have to try out the lemon drop pepper. Do you have a website you like for seeds? When does your season typically start and finish? I think we have a decent length to our growing season here although we definitely experience winter.
@bewildered I generally avoid planting anything outside and don't even leave pots out overnight before May long weekend (May 18 this year). Too much risk of freezing still. Some years things don't leave the house until the first part of June. Killing frost in the fall can be as early as middle of August, but that's more of a one-off. I generally have to start bringing all my pots in every night by mid September even though the days might still be nice into October. I've been using Atlantic Pepper Seeds out of the Maritimes. They have everything from bells to superhots, and some pretty rare varieties as well. They also have some of their own hybrids that they've developed for shorter seasons. I don't know if they ship to the States though, but they should work for @Nettdata in ON. https://www.pepperseeds.ca The germination was unreal as well. I planted seeds I bought 2 years ago this year figuring about 1/2 of them wouldn't sprout, and they still all came up. I've never had that with habenero seeds from the local garden shop. Most of the specialty pepper places throw in free packages of stuff you might like based on your order as well. This place might work for you @bewildered https://pepperjoe.com, but I can't vouch for them, never having used them myself. Or this forum might have a few ideas for your local area https://thehotpepper.com
Gee... would be nice if they had some selection or something... Thanks for the link... it looks very, very promising... I'll place an order soon.
Right? The selection is insane. I have a list that's multiple pages long of ones I'd like to try. I thought shipping was super reasonable as well, especially if you go with their in-house flat rate vs the Canada Post options. They say 2 weeks, but I swear I got my last batch in about three days... but that was before COVID.
Wow, looks great, @Improper. Did you grow the Purple UFO from seed? If so, where did you get the seeds? I'm interested. Best tomato, so far here, has been Japanese Black Trifele from migardener.com. Nothing ripe quite yet, but tons of probably 4-6 ounce pear-shaped fruits just waiting to blush to their coppery/purple ripeness. Supposedly a very versatile heirloom; sauces, canning, fresh, etc. Very excited.
That sounds awesome binx, I have never grown that variety. I have seen some migardener youtubes, that guy knows his stuff. I DID grow most everything from seed this year, including all of the peppers. A friend ordered me some new things to try, including the UFO.
You'll have to report back here once you get some ripe tomatoes. How heavy is the fruit load on the plants? I've been on a San Marzano kick the last couple of years since I mostly cook with my tomatoes but might be ready to try another type next season if it is highly recommended. Man, you guys have me obsessing over wicking beds now. I keep trying to plan it in my head. I wonder if I could do a terraced design with overflow pipes into each lower section? Ho hum.
i went from wondering why anyone would start a garden from seeds, to starting seeds in 72 pods and building two, 10x4 foot beds with plans for two more in less than about two months. boredom is a hell of a motivator
Just seeing my garden grow double the size in 2 days due to the heat and rain is motivation enough. Something very satisfying about growing a healthy garden. Now, when shit starts to go bad, that's another story... I've learned to have all the anti-fungal and anti-insecticide shit on hand for WHEN it happens, not if...
You got to keep up. Tomato horn worms will reduce your garden in half in the same amount of time. Nature is amazing. I grew up at my grandpas farm never once saw these huge thumb sized neon green caterpillars anywhere. First year I put tomatoes in I got them. Were they just passing through at 3 feet an hour and lucked upon my patch?
Ha! Well, logic and saving money appeals to me, and throw that on one of my favorite hobbies ever and you've hooked my interest. Might be awhile before I get to build them. Lots of other projects to finish before I move onto the next.