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annuum What Jalapeno should I grow?

Interesting comments...my own experience growing (and eating) both Jalapeno and Fresno's goes counter to some of the posts here.

In three seasons of growing both types, I had more trouble with my Jalapeno's than the Fresnos - the 'peno's seem to be far more sensitive to watering, produce less, etc., while the Fresno's grow like weeds. To that end, this year I grew only three 'peno plants (Mammoth, Giant and Early - all from seedlings bought at a local nursery), but six Fresno's (from last year's saved seeds). All planted in late February to early March. I've been harvesting probably one to two lbs. of Fresno's each week for the last six weeks, but so far probably only a pound or so (about a a dozen?) 'Peno's. I do let them mature to red, which to me has a far better flavor, if less heat, than picking them green. But they take twice as long as the Fresno's to fully mature for harvest, and each plant only produces 1/3 or so of what the same age Fresno plants produce (for me).

The Giants and Mammoths are a bit of a misnomer - they are fatter than grocery store habs, but only about 3 1/2" long max - not the "up to 6" as promised by the label on the nursery container. They do taste great, stuffed or fresh, and of the three 'Penos strains I think the flavor of the Early variety is the best

Comparing both types, I really prefer the rich fruity flavor and meaty texture of the red 'penos - I prefer to them to use fresh on everything, and freeze the Fresnos until I have enough to make a half-gallon at a time of homemade 'sriracha' tyle garlic and pepper sauce (I give a lot of it away to friends), or pickling them to use for stuffing with cream cheese. Way too many Fresno's and not enough Jalapenos...with at least five lbs. of Fresnos in the freezer, and four qts. of pickled peppers in the fridge, but only a couple Jalapeno's on hand at any one moment. Oh well.
 
I like Jalapeno M. They do pretty good here and I always have some to pick off the 3 plants I have. I haven't grown Fresco but do believe it will be on next year's list.

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I picked up a late season Bonnie Mammoth jalapeno about a month ago. real tall with 4 or five pods growing on it now. Anyone tried this type?
 
Hey everyone,

I would like to start of by thanking this forum for all the great information!

Now to get on topic. Have you tried the Jalapeno Traveler by Larry Pierce of Piercenaturfarms ? The plant is vigorous, the fruits are nice in form, and, both taste and heat are solid. Of the three types of Jalapeno's I trialed this year 1 numex variety, the M, and the Traveler, this plant is my favorite.

Gary
P.S. I hope that did not come off sounding like a fan boy post! My absolute favorite pepper of all time is the old Rooster Spur! Love it!
 
After a search I'm giving this a bump:
We grew the Traveler last year(not a good year as too wet) & found it not remarkable & small common peppers. We like the Bonnie Mammoth which is F1 hybrid but I'm looking for seeds for new jalapenos to try.
I like what I see/read so far, for: Giant, Jumbo, Goliath, Craig's Grande, Born to be Mild-Burpee, Tormenta, Pizza Pepper & Felicity-Territorial Seed Co.. Looking for jalapenos based on size,flavor,productivity but not heat! We like some heat not after blazing high heat. I want flavor & some heat!
I see heat lovers comments all over this forum & i'm fine with your tastes but for me, heat & flavor are too different & competing things in a pepper. FWIW, I was the spice blender in a meat packing plant & developed a taste for spicy foods long ago-but not habnero hot foods!
My favorite chilli powder is not a singular pepper powder but a typical blend of spices that is an optimum combo for my taste buds. I saw it sold from the creators panel truck to the grocery where I worked back then,in the late 1950's in my hometown, Topeka,KS. Man's name-Pedro Lopez. I still buy it when I'm home or passing through-see Dillon's Supermarket. I see it on the web too-google "Pedro Lopez Chili Powder"-it's the best! Not hot but is an ideal blend of spices to make chili con carne. We had a NM friend that brought chili to our house for a supper once & his version looked like "thick red water" with a small bit of meat in the bottom of the pan. Ours is thick with beans,tomatoes and diced jalapenos,browned pork & not too hot!
 
I actually love early jalapenos. I'm a big jalapeno fan, so I like their small size. However, I also want big ones like Biker Billy's, but I don't want F1 jalapeno hybrids either. I'm trying out Burpee's Jalapeno Gigante this year. Anyone try these? I also can't tell if they're F1 hybrids. I'm also giving some jalapenos I got from an international market a shot. I'm guessing they're hybrids (perhaps Biker Billy's), but they were the best jalapenos I've ever had.
 
If you want something substantial to eat stuffed, cross any random jalapeno with your preferred larger pepper, even one that isn't hot like a green bell.  If you need the result to be hotter then there are plenty of pepper varieties you can put in the stuffing.
 
Sometimes I wonder if the bigger varieties are just a cross with something else then crossed again with a jalapeno.
 
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