| If you're an aficionado of hot sauce and | | | | close together, your bell peppers may end up |
| salsa, chances are you've thought of growing | | | | being hotter than you want and your hot |
| your own chile peppers. You're not alone. | | | | peppers may be more like lukewarm peppers. If |
| More backyard farmers are growing peppers. | | | | you are using seeds that are older than a |
| According to Colorado State University (CSU), | | | | year, sow more plants to ensure a good crop |
| cultivating peppers is second only to growing | | | | and then thin if necessary.Controlling pests. |
| tomatoes in terms of popularity. CSU cites | | | | Ohio State University recommends controlling |
| two reasons for the surge in chile pepper | | | | weeds by hand-pulling or shallow cultivation |
| cultivation: the hundred of varieties | | | | to avoid injury to the plant roots. To avoid |
| available and the fact that peppers are | | | | your plants becoming diseased, properly space |
| prolific producers.If you've successfully | | | | plants and water sufficiently and early in |
| grown tomatoes, you can grow hot peppers. | | | | the day so leaves dry quickly. Growers also |
| They require similar care and conditions. | | | | have to be on the look out for aphids which |
| Here are some tips on how to grow the chile | | | | may carry viral diseases that can infect |
| peppers that you love.Warmer is better both | | | | pepper plants. European Corn Borers are a |
| for hot sauces and for growing conditions. | | | | special threat since they can drill small |
| Hot peppers crave warmth. Ideally they need | | | | holes near the pepper's steam and cause |
| temperatures between 60 degrees Fahrenheit | | | | internal fruit rot.When to pick a pepper? |
| (at night) and around 80 degrees Fahrenheit | | | | Start picking hot peppers when they're still |
| (during the day.) They don't do well when the | | | | green if you want a milder flavor or for use |
| temperature dips below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. | | | | in salads, relishes or stuffing. For |
| They germinate at soil temperatures of 75 to | | | | full-throttle heat and flavor wait until |
| 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures of more | | | | they've turned their final color. Be careful |
| than 90 degrees Fahrenheit during flowering | | | | when picking peppers as their branches are |
| can result in the plant's blossoms falling | | | | usually brittle. Hand clippers or pruners can |
| off and affecting yields. (A shortage of | | | | be a good choice in order to avoid excessive |
| water can also diminish your crop.) In areas | | | | branch breakage. Once you've picked a pepper, |
| where warmth is a problem, consider growing | | | | it will only last one to two weeks. Keep |
| them indoors and then transplanting outdoors | | | | picked peppers in the fridge under cool, |
| once the threat of frost is past. When | | | | moist conditions to increase shelf |
| starting plants, also consider using a | | | | life.Follow these tips and you'll have your |
| heating pad to keep the soil warm. Keeping a | | | | pick of peppers from your own garden.The Care |
| plastic cover over your soil until your seeds | | | | and Storage of SeedsThe good news is that |
| sprout is another good idea. If you live in | | | | pepper seeds are the "geezers" of the plant |
| the northern latitudes of the United States | | | | world. They are known for their longevity and |
| like Cosmic Chile, which is based in chilly | | | | can be fertile for five years or more. That |
| Bozeman, Montana, consider keeping your | | | | said, the better you care for them, the |
| pepper plants indoors, growing them in a cold | | | | longer they will live and be fertile.When it |
| frame or cultivating them indoors in either a | | | | comes to seeds, first bought should be used |
| sun room or in a greenhouse. Remember to | | | | first. Try to plant seeds within a year of |
| cover your plants if the temperature dips | | | | purchase. Don't hoard different varieties. |
| below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.Picking planting | | | | Instead plant and then harvest seeds at the |
| time. The Chile Pepper Institute of New | | | | end of the growing season to use the |
| Mexico State University recommends starting | | | | following year. If you buy plants from a |
| seeds indoors about eight to 10 weeks before | | | | supplier, check the date on the packet. The |
| the last expected frost in your area. | | | | package directions should indicate when the |
| Generally that will mean starting plants in | | | | seeds were packed and should also give a |
| mid-May to late June.Matching your climate to | | | | deadline for when they should be used.Store |
| the right pepper. According to eHow.com, if | | | | seeds in a dry and cool place. For example, |
| you live North of United States Department of | | | | put them in an airtight container and then |
| Agriculture Zone 4, you'll get better results | | | | keep that container in your refrigerator. You |
| with short-season varieties such as Long | | | | can also try putting silica gel packets, |
| Slim, Hungarian Wax and Gypsy. The Ohio State | | | | powdered milk or even dry rice in with them |
| University Horticulture and Crop Science | | | | to keep humidity levels low. When you're |
| department also recommends Long Red Cayenne | | | | ready to use your seeds, let them warm up |
| and Large Red Cherry for cooler climates. If | | | | inside the storage container before opening. |
| you're blessed with hot weather, consider | | | | (This will minimize condensation on the |
| planting peppers with a "TAM" or "NuMex" in | | | | inside of the container or on the seeds |
| their names, says. "They've been bred to | | | | themselves.)Where to Buy Seeds and |
| produce well in very high temperatures," the | | | | SuppliesThe web is well populated with hot |
| web site notes. Regardless of what variety | | | | chile pepper seed purveyors. Here are some |
| you choose, look for disease and insect free | | | | sites to get you started on your quest to |
| plants.What about water? While chile pepper | | | | grow your own. Most of these give some |
| plants don't need a lot of water and dislike | | | | interesting background on the peppers, where |
| soggy water-logged soil, they do need moist | | | | they are suitable to be grown and, perhaps |
| soil to thrive. A shortage of water at bloom | | | | most important, most list how hot they Your |
| time can result in blossom drop or a failure | | | | online garden supply store offering organic |
| to "set" fruit.Soil wars. Chile peppers | | | | fertilizers, natural pest control, |
| prefer well-drained, sandy or silt-loam soil. | | | | hydroponics and more. Everything you'll ever |
| Soil should be moist, not wet, when planting. | | | | need to grow chile peppers...indoors or The |
| Before planting your chile peppers, enrich | | | | mother of all seed sites, Burpee offers |
| the soil with manure or compost. Most peppers | | | | reliability, a well-recognized name and a |
| prefer soils with a pH range of between 6.0 | | | | decent selection (around 22 varieties) of hot |
| to 8.5. Also consider dusting your planting | | | | peppers including the Hot Pepper Biker Billy |
| surface with a fine layer of Epsom salts and | | | | Hybrid which Burpee bills as "A blazingly hot |
| work it into the soil. According to eHow.com, | | | | jalapeno - the hottest we have ever Name the |
| the Epsom salts will provide magnesium "which | | | | chile pepper and you'll probably find it on |
| peppers need for good development."No shocks | | | | this site, including its namesake the |
| to the system. If you start plants indoors, | | | | Chocolate Habanero which is known as being |
| get them adjusted to outdoor temperatures | | | | "very" hot even for a habanero. In addition |
| slowly. Don't just plunk them in soil | | | | to a full line of habanero peppers, this site |
| outdoors. Instead, let them sit outside in | | | | also stocks the Naga Jolokia Pepper which |
| their containers for ever longer lengths of | | | | comes from India and is also known by its |
| time so they can acclimate to the great | | | | Indian military designation of PC-1 and the |
| outdoors and its cooler temperatures. Start | | | | rare Yatsufusa Pepper, a Japanese |
| the acclimation process about two weeks prior | | | | variety.Pepper Joe's at This web site |
| to planting in the garden. Try to avoid root | | | | proudly displays kudos from newspaper sites |
| damage when transplanting from containers to | | | | such as the Los Angeles Daily News, The |
| soil. Soil should be at least 60 degrees | | | | Philadelphia Inquirer and The Arizona Daily |
| Fahrenheit before transferring plants | | | | Star. It features drawings rather than actual |
| outdoors.A site for hot chiles. Choose a | | | | pictures of peppers, but it has an |
| garden site that gets full sun and has | | | | interesting assortment, which includes the |
| well-drained soil. Raised beds are a good | | | | Bulgarian Carrot - so named because it looks |
| idea since chile papers need warm soil and | | | | remarkably like a carrot - as well as the |
| air to thrive. Plant your peppers 18 inches | | | | Tazmanian Habanero and the Yellow Jellybean. |
| apart with rows three feet apart, according | | | | The site designates "organic" peppers.This |
| to CSU.Perfect planting. Provide support for | | | | article was written by Eric Vinje of Cosmic |
| varieties that grow to more than a foot tall. | | | | Chile. |
| Also keep different varieties apart. Not that | | | | |
| they'll squabble, but peppers crossbreed | | | | |
| easily so if you're growing a hot variety as | | | | |
| well as some bell peppers keep them far apart | | | | Shop online for hot sauce, salsas, spicy BBQ |
| (at least 900 feet apart) or put in a buffer | | | | sauces and more. If it's fiery foods you're |
| plant. If you plant sweet and hot peppers too | | | | after...we've got it! |