Peppers may be my favorite summer season vegetable that I grow. I love that there are so many different varieties of peppers, ranging in color, size, shape, taste, flavor and of course the level of spiciness (see my previous blog post on where pepper heat comes from).
Many home gardeners are familiar with these common types:
- Bell peppers, large, sweet that come in a rainbow of colors.
- Jalapeño peppers, medium-sized, spicy that are often used in Mexican cuisine.
- Cayenne peppers, small, spicy, are often used to add heat to dishes.
- Habanero peppers, very spicy that are often used in Caribbean cuisine.
- Poblano peppers, large, mild heat, great for making chiles rellenos (delicious).
- Anaheim peppers, medium-sized, mild heat, Southwestern cuisine.
- Banana peppers, mild heat that are often used in sandwiches/salads.
- Serrano peppers, small, spicy, are often used for making salsa.
- Thai chili peppers, small, extremely spicy.
In my home garden I like to grow peppers that are unique. I’m interested in growing and preserving old pepper genetics. These selections include heirloom varieties, landrace varietals from the southwestern US, Mexico, Central and South America and other place around the world.
in 2022 I grew 63 varieties of peppers and chiles, only 3 bell pepper types. I had half of my EarthBoxes dedicated growing peppers.
I buy seeds from a variety of sources, here are a few: Heirloom Seedhouse, Pepper Joe’s, Baker Creek, Native Seeds SEARCH, Chile Pepper Institute, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
I’ve scaled back this year and only have around 33 varieties (plus a few new-to-me seed packs currently being shipped). I’ll be writing about the pepper progress as we grow through the summer season.
Now, I’ve had a couple of folks ask what kinds I’m growing, so here’s a partial list (I am growing some proprietary seed trials that will go unnamed for the time being), many of the varieties have links to the seed source.
- Fresno, Mulato Poblano, Spanish Piquillo, Aleppo, Bell Pepper Mix, Pasilla, Shishito, Mellow Star, Poblano, Puma, Blot, Leutschauer Paprika, Hungarian Paprika, Aji Amarillo, Chilhuacle Amarillo, Carmen, Datil, Rezha Macedonian, Kori Sitakame, Aji Peruvian, Calabrian, Aji Panca, Txorixero, Criolla Sella, Abiquiu
Gary Grows at Heritage Cottage 