It is not possible to effectively grow tropical peppers like Capsicum
Chinense (e.g. varieties Habanero, Fatalii, Scotch Bonnet, Barbados) in the
ground in the Northern latitudes. The earth, even in the summer, is too cold on
the average and the time between frosts (May-October) is not long enough to
allow vine ripening. By tricking the plants into feeling that they are in the
tropics, however, you may have a fine crop of peppers that are larger, riper and
every bit as fiery as those actually grown in the tropics. Here's how.
- Obtain Seeds
This is the obvious first step: Obtain seeds to grow your chilis. There are many commercial
sources for seeds which you can research here: General Plants
and Seeds Address List and The Redwood City Seed
Company. I would call particular attention to the former reference and in there find the
information on Seed Saver's Exchange - which is a phenomenal network of gardeners worldwide
who exchange their heirloom seeds for all vegetables. This contains, by far the largest
variety of seeds I have ever seen.
- Germination
Around Valentine's Day or early March, plant seeds (1-2 per pot) in 2"x2"
peat pots. Use 'seed starting soil' and plant about 1/8" below the surface.
Place these pots in a seedling tray that comes with a clear plastic lid. You
can fit 36 pots per tray. Water the pots, making sure that they are uniformly
moist, but not saturated (i.e. they should not be sitting in a level of unabsorbed
water). Too much water can encourage molds. The ideal germination
temperature is about 80ºF, but if you place the trays in an upstairs sunny
window, the greenhouse effect caused by the plastic lid will provide an ideal
environment. The seeds will sprout between 1 and 3 weeks after planting. After
that, you may remove the lids and then you only need to make sure that the soil
never dries out completely. You should also give them their first fertilizer.
Peters 'Root and Bloom' is good for this stage. Especially watch out for mold on
the soil and pots at this time. If you see any white cottony substance, you should
use a Captan based anti-fungal solution. In May, after the plants are well on
their way, you should ideally place the trays outside as much as possible to
'hardy' the plants. Bring them back in at any time when the temperature goes
below 50ºF. You can leave the plants indoors until they are ready to plant, but
the stalks will be long and withery and not fare as well in the elements.
- Planting
You must plant your chilis in pots for two reasons. First, in the fall, you
will need to bring the plants indoors as the first frost will come before all the
pods have ripened. Since chilis are actually perennials, you can also move your
plants back outside the following Spring. They will bear pods year after year so
long as the plants never freeze. Secondly, tropical peppers need warmer soil
than we have in the North and by planting them 'above ground', the soil will be
as warm, if not warmer than that of the tropics. You will also have less trouble
with pests such as rabbits and crawling insects as when they are planted in the
ground.
You need not have an enormous pot, I usually plant four plants in a single
10" pot. If you do this, however, you will need to drench your plants most every
day in the heat of the summer, and fertilize every week or two. Place rocks or
pebbles in the bottom of the pot first, mainly for weight so that the plants won't
easily blow over in the wind. The soil mixture I use is as follows: 3 parts rich
potting soil, 1 part sand, 2 parts Michigan Peat Moss, 1 part cow manure and a
few tablespoons of lime. Plant the peat pots in this mixture and drench. Make
sure that no part of the peat pot is above the soil, even if you have to tear off the
top edges. Otherwise, the water will 'wick' out into the air and 'locally' dry out
the area around the plant even though the rest of the soil may be relatively
moist.
The primary consideration with these plants is that if they are subjected to
even a light frost, they will die. So if you are planting in pots, make sure that you
aren't going to be moving the pots inside too frequently. If planting in the
ground (Capsicum Anuum will do fine in the Northern Spring and Summer)
make sure that the last frost is behind you.
- Sun and Water
The plants should be in direct sunlight at least half the day. They can take
total sunlight, but the most crucial thing to remember is to never let them dry out
completely. Make certain your pots drain out onto the ground or else you risk
root rot. Ideally, you should drench each pot whenever the soil starts to become
dry and powdery, but not yet bone dry. If the leaves start to droop, then you
will lose blossoms as well. A lost blossom is a lost chili pod. You must check the
soil every day in the summer, especially if they get a full day of direct sun and
you crowd more than one plant in a small pot.
- Feeding
I like to feed the plants every week or two alternating 'Miracle Grow for
Tomatoes' and 'Alaska Fish Fertilizer'. If you feed and water your plants
liberally, you may easily support four healthy plants per 10" pot. The advantage
of this is that you will not break your back when it comes time to carry them
inside, and you will be able to harvest far more pods per square foot from these
attractive bushy plants.
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Capsicum Chinense, variety Habanero |
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- Harvesting
For the richest flavor and most concentrated heat, let your chilis ripen on
the vine, even if they ripen at Christmas time in your living room window. Each
species and variety will have a terminal ripening color which will always be
something other than green. Most peppers ripen red, but many will ripen to a
bright lemon yellow or orange. Some rare varieties will be black, white or even
purple. Make sure you find out what the terminal ripening color is for each
variety you grow. You should pick them soon after the pod has completely
turned color. You do not want the pods to get soft, shrivel or dry on the vine.
- Seed Saving
If you are going to save your seeds to share with others or to replant next
year, simply cut out the seed bearing tissue and place on paper towels on the
windowsill to dry. Seeds should never exceed a temperature of 90ºF. Plants of
the same species may cross-pollinate unless care is taken to isolate the blossoms
by using nylon bags or sheer distance from other plants of different varieties of
the same species. Although the pod of a cross-pollinated blossom may be
identical those of its parent stalk, the pods coming from plants germinated from
those seeds (hybrids) can be very different from both parents. This can be very
desirable or undesirable. If you are certain you want to keep a variety pure
when saving seeds, make sure that there are no other varieties of the same
species within 500 feet of your plant while it is blossoming.
- Preservation
If you pick the pods correctly, they will keep well fresh for several weeks
in the refrigerator. You may freeze chilis, but I've never bothered. You may
pickle with vinegar and/or salt water solutions and even blend to make 'hot
sauces'. You can make 'hot oil' by slowing sauting chopped peppers in any oil.
Capsaicin, the compound which produces the hot flavor in chilis is a non-polar
compound which makes it soluble in oils, not water. This is why drinking water
is not very effective in quenching the fire when you've eaten too much of the
wrong chili pepper. My favorite method of preservation, by far, is dehydration.
You may dry your pods in a dehydrator by first slicing them in half, or
quartering if larger, then at 140ºF for about 2 hours and a day at 130ºF. After the
pods are completely dry with no soft spots, you may superdry them in a
dessicator. A dessicator is any airtight container with about a 1" layer of
rechargeable Silica Gel on the bottom. I use ammo boxes from the Army/Navy
store and have constructed small stackable wooden frames with screens to hold
the peppers. (When the Silica Gel is laden with moisture, I simply remove the
lids of the ammo boxes, and place them in the oven at 300ºF for 3 hours.) After a
few days in the dessicator, your pods will be ready for a time capsule if you
desire, crumbling to dust with a little pressure. In this state, they are ready for
grinding. I use a standard coffee grinder or spice grinder for about 30 seconds.
You may then sift and funnel the powdered spice into a spice jar. Beware of the
airborne dust, however, this powder is very irritating to the eyes, throat and
lungs.
Variations - One of the finest flavors I have experienced is that of smoked
peppers. After initial dehydration, you may 'quick smoke' the dried pods on a
screen inside a 'smoker'. Two to three hours of constant flowing hickory smoke
at 200º-250ºF will produce a wonderful result. If you have access to a
smokehouse, cold smoking at 85ºF for several days would produce an even finer
result.
All gardening items mentioned in this paper are available at better
gardening centers.