[CH] Chiles in Missouri - was "Ordering Pepper Seeds"
George Nelson (70431.3065@compuserve.com)
Fri, 4 Dec 1998 10:09:21 -0500
List members have given lots of good advice about "the next hotter pepper
up from Jalapeno" to grow in Missouri. I agree Serrano is a splendid
choice. Hungarian yellow wax are available in the area and can sometimes
"out-heat" jalapenos.
The hottest pepper you can grow in Missouri is limited by the genetics of
the Capsicum genus. You can grow any of them around here, though some
require very long seasons (>200 days), or "cool sunshine" for optimum
production. We get about 180 to 190 days suitable for peppers and many of
these are hot, humid and hazy!
My experience in Kirkwood (suburban St. Louis) is that C. anuum varieties
grow well here. Serranos grow slowly at first, but begin producing well by
August. This is also true of habaneros. The C. baccatum I tried produced
fruit in the first year. I did not try to bring them indoors, but did do
that with C. pubescens var. "Ecuador" which was a good thing, since they
really did not produce until the second year, which appears typical.
I start seeds indoors at the end of February (lots of lights - see
archives) and put the plants out after hardening off around the first of
May. I use seeds to grow the varieties that cannot be found around here;
among the healthiest and most productive plants I had this year were
jalapenos bought from a nursery. Most of the plants go into containers
(ca. 5 gallon), but some go into the garden.
This year, circumstances dictated planting April 25, a bit dicey for my
conservative tastes, but the weather cooperated. The season ended for me
with the frost around November 7.
It was a good pepper year. Mention has been made on the list that 1998
midwest US peppers were a bit hotter than usual. Mine seemed hotter as
well, all across the varieties I grew, including long green (Sandia and New
Mexico 6), Ancho 101, jalapeno, de arbol and serrano.
George Nelson
70431.3065@compuserve.com