Some Like it HOT!By Jill West, Al's Head Annuals Grower
Looking for something new to try in the garden this year? Try adding some hot peppers to the mix. They’re easy to grow, and come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and flavors from mildly spicy to eye watering hot. This year we’ve expanded our selection of hot peppers to over ten different varieties, including the hottest of the hot Mexican Piquin. We’ve got a pepper for every taste. Read on for some tips on how to grow them.
Peppers like it hot. They thrive in warm, sunny locations, so choose a spot in your yard that gets the most sunlight. Since our cool summer nights will slow their growth (compared to a hotter drier climate), it’s best to use pepper plant starts, instead of seeds. By planting starts your peppers can make the most of our Northwest summer sun. Before planting, incorporate some compost or manure into the soil to increase nutrition and improve drainage, and dust the area with Epsom salts. This will provide magnesium to the plants, which is needed for good fruit development. Putting down black plastic or ground cloth in the area is also beneficial for two reasons: it will help keep the soil warmer for good root development and it will also reflect heat back to the plant to create the warm environment they like.
If you’ve grown hot peppers before and had a hard time getting them to have some kick, try these simple tricks. Let the plants get to the point that they are just starting to wilt before you water them. Stressing them will mimic their natural environment. Also, creating a slightly acidic growing environment will help intensify their heat. This can be done by using an acidic fertilizer just as you would for azaleas or rhododendrons.
Harvest the peppers once they’re fully developed and the desired color is reached. The more you pick, the more peppers you’ll get! If you are looking for some fun things to do with all of those peppers - take a peek at the following pages:
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Heat Scale
3 (hotter)
2 (hot)
1 (mild)
Sweet
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Space
the peppers 18-24 inches apart when planting and thoroughly water them
in. Peppers are not heavy feeders. Fertilizing them when they
are first planted, then again when the fruit begins to appear should
provide enough nutrition to the plants. Choose a fertilizer that has
higher levels of phosphorous and potassium. Too much nitrogen will
leave you with beautiful bushy plants, but no fruit. Keep the
peppers evenly moist as they grow, but not too wet. 