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