[CH] Biker Billies Hybrids?

Margaret Lauterbach (melauter@earthlink.net)
Mon, 21 Apr 2003 09:28:19 -0600

Are Biker Billies truly hybrids?  IIRC the story originally was that a 
biker came into a Burpee store and said "you ought to be growing 
these."  He was asked his name, and he said "Billy."  Burpees people 
harvested the seeds and started the line.  Now if that was true, it was an 
open pollinated chile.  Burpees are claiming it's a hybrid.  Sure, because 
if it is, saving seeds and planting them out would make getting fruit 
probably unlike the parent.  You have to buy new seeds (from Burpees) every 
year if it's a hybrid. But if it is open pollinated, you would stand a good 
chance of getting the same chile from saving your own seeds.  Has anyone 
(except me) tried this?  I have seedlings from self-saved seeds and I think 
Marc Winterburn does too (from my seeds), but have not yet produced 
fruits.  Margaret L