Chile Pepper Institute, Field Picture Tour

pretty cool, thanks for sharing.
 
Very nice. I was surprised by the soil looking almost clay like and parched. Those peppers seemed to like it. Do you work there?  Is it open to the public? Are you allowed to procure any pods for seed? 
 
Thanks! I wonder how often they flood irrigate. Do you know if all the marigolds are just for looks or beneficial insects?
 
SL3 said:
Very nice. I was surprised by the soil looking almost clay like and parched. Those peppers seemed to like it. Do you work there?  Is it open to the public? Are you allowed to procure any pods for seed? 
 
I don't work there, but I live in Las Cruces, NM, where it is.  It is open M-F to the public.  I would say that you can get away with "grabbing a pod" but they sell seeds to lots of them at the store they have on the NMSU campus or the CPI website.
 
hottoddy said:
Thanks! I wonder how often they flood irrigate. Do you know if all the marigolds are just for looks or beneficial insects?
I don't know, but if you email them (address is on website) they will tell you I'm sure.  There are also several rows of cabbage between the marigolds and the peppers. 
 
Beautiful, organized, and so well marked I now feel like a complete hack.  Next time my dogs knock down a plant, I am going to scream at them: "This is why we can't have nice things".

On the soil and lack of moisture: They do sell seeds, but their main function is research.  Since operated by a state university, my guess is a huge chunk of their research is focused on that state's weather and soil conditions.  I'd be willing to bet students are keeping track of plant height, pods, and other things from this year's season along with rain fall, temperatures, and so on.  The other thing that comes to mind is that they are in part funded by larger scale industry than we small growers.  So the techniques used to grow have gotta be more kin to industry.  While you and I might use more water, I don't think it is all that common for the big boys and their hundred acre crops.
 
Really cool place. I would love to visit but I'm afraid I'd get kicked out. I'd be screaming about why so many peppers were drying out on the plants and dead pods on the ground. I'd have to start cramming pods in my pockets while claiming my intentions of freeing those poor pods from their oppressive lives and bringing them home with me to free range in my kitchen and live out the lives they were meant to live.....In My Belly :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
Back to sanity......Curious about how some look very healthy and well cared for while others looked terrible. I wonder if that's all part of the experiment, to see how varying amounts of water and/or fertilizer affect the plants. Are they also experimenting with different insecticides?
 
That looks like a really neat operation they have there. I lived in LC for years, I don't know why I never knew about that place. They must be pumping well water to irrigate. Last time I was in Las Cruces, which was in April, the Rio Grande was completely dry. They were pumping well water to irrigate all of the pecan orchards.
 
1tom2go, I enjoyed that.  Thanks.
 
SL3 said:
Very nice. I was surprised by the soil looking almost clay like and parched. Those peppers seemed to like it.
 
IIRC (I used to live in El Paso) the soil has a high sand content and drains well.  It's probably worked quite deeply, too.  The soil in the area is extraordinarily productive with the addition of some water.
 
I think all those "marigolds" are actually mums.

Thegreenchilemonster said:
That looks like a really neat operation they have there. I lived in LC for years, I don't know why I never knew about that place. They must be pumping well water to irrigate. Last time I was in Las Cruces, which was in April, the Rio Grande was completely dry. They were pumping well water to irrigate all of the pecan orchards.
 
Whoa!  Really?  I've never seen that.  I guess the drought didn't break out west like it did here.
 
Hawaiianero said:
 I'd have to start cramming pods in my pockets while claiming my intentions of freeing those poor pods from their oppressive lives and bringing them home with me to free range in my kitchen and live out the lives they were meant to live.....In My Belly :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Right on.  Free the pods!  Power to the pods!  Liberate the pods!  Show us your boobies.. wait, went from protest to Easy Rider rodeo mode.
 
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