I'm new to growing Jalapenos this year, since last year my only jalapeno plant was diseased and didn't produce anything worthwhile (tossed it). I ordered one each of Jalapeno M, Early Jalapeno and Biker Billy Hybrid from chileplants.com (haven't got them yet) and got a pack of plants locally simply labeled "Jalapeno." Just wondering what everyone's opinion of the various jalapeno-type plants is. What's the "best" jalapeno variety you've tried? Biggest? Hottest? Best-tasting? Most productive?
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annuum Jalapeno Varieties
- Thread starter UltraZelda64
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Biker Billy was the biggest, hottest, best tasting, and most productive out of Jalapeno M, Early Jalapeno, and Biker Billy strains I've grown.
Cool, now I'm kinda wishing I would've got more Biker Billy plants though, heh. (Only got one each as I mentioned until I found some generically-named jalapenos at a local greenhouse.) I have a feeling, from the sound of it, that I'll be growing these again next year. Has anyone compared the BB to any other "big" and supposedly hot ones, like Mucho Nacho, Gigante, Goliath, Grande, Mammoth, Ole, etc.?
I've heard mucho nacho are hotter than average and larger than average. I assume very similar to biker billy. I'm growing both of them this year and will let you know. The biker billy peppers pack quite a punch for a jalapeno. They were very popular in my house, and offended many heat intolerant friends.
Pepper Turd: Yeah, I've heard the same about Mucho Nacho being bigger and hotter. I've also read about people disappointed in their heat, but who knows how much truth there is to that. I'll keep an eye open for your findings... this should be interesting.
mucho, early and beaver dam grower here will report properties. no billy sprouts yet
Mucho nacho is said to be the same or very close to jalapeno M although mucho nacho claims to be a hybrid. This year I'm trying Ixtapa for the first time as well as some gigantia(?f2) to see if they are really hybrids as listed. I also hope to try stabilizing some biker billys (If they are truly hybrids) but that project will have to wait for next year to start
Two others I just found that sound interesting: Firenza Hybrid and Jaloro. The Firenza, according to chiliplants.com, is apparently hot and of good size. The Jaloro has a unique range of colors, from yellow to orange to red... very cool looking.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting on the nighttime temps to get consistently around 55°F so I can put the regular jalapenos out, and the other plants should be sent out within the next couple days. Can't wait.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting on the nighttime temps to get consistently around 55°F so I can put the regular jalapenos out, and the other plants should be sent out within the next couple days. Can't wait.
Sorry to resurrect this thread (it's not *too* old, I don't think... is it?), but I figured I'd bring up another variety: the Jumbo Jalapeno. I figured replying to this one would be better than creating a new topic. The reason I brought this up is because my plants from Cross Country Nurseries have arrived a few days ago, including a piece of paper notifying me of a sale that's too good to pass up. So I went to their site, searched for plants still in stock, and found the Jumbo Jalapeno. Anyone know anything about those in relation to the other "big" jalapeno types? I probably won't get it this year, but I'm thinking about the Mucho Nacho and Jaloro, as well as a couple ornamentals, mild chinense ("seasoning"), and bell peppers.
Also, I found the Mammoth Jalapeno at Lowe's and picked one up, so now I have four jalapeno varieties. All of the plants are in the ground; been busy as hell getting it ready, setting up the spacing markers, and planting the last two days. The final layout has about 17.5 to 18 inches between plants, and about 23 inches between rows, with rows alternating for a zig-zag pattern. It looks good now, but I'll see how it holds up by summer and fall. I'm just glad that's all over with, it was a decent amount of work, but it appears to have turned out pretty good.
Also, I found the Mammoth Jalapeno at Lowe's and picked one up, so now I have four jalapeno varieties. All of the plants are in the ground; been busy as hell getting it ready, setting up the spacing markers, and planting the last two days. The final layout has about 17.5 to 18 inches between plants, and about 23 inches between rows, with rows alternating for a zig-zag pattern. It looks good now, but I'll see how it holds up by summer and fall. I'm just glad that's all over with, it was a decent amount of work, but it appears to have turned out pretty good.
FWIW, my Mucho Nachos last year were weak sauce. Even after dehydrating them and subsequently flooding them to try and get a capsaicin rush, I simply couldn't get them to produce any heat.
My wife and I gave up and resorted to using the Serrano Tampiqueños for any needed heat for salsa last year.
Trying Purple Jalapeños this year and more Serranos for staple fresh salsa peppers this season.
As always, YMMV, and my experience could've been end user error in numerous possible iterations.
My wife and I gave up and resorted to using the Serrano Tampiqueños for any needed heat for salsa last year.
Trying Purple Jalapeños this year and more Serranos for staple fresh salsa peppers this season.
As always, YMMV, and my experience could've been end user error in numerous possible iterations.
I agree with Eephus and use Serranos and Habs in my salsa. Growing Jalapeno M and Grande this year. Do not use Jalapenos much other than for poppers and to put up a few jars of pepper rings. Interesting finding last year; brought Jala. from the local nursery (labeled as generic Jalapenos) and planted six plants. Harvested them and found the heat range varied from very mild to significantly hot. Did not pay attention to which peppers came from which plants. Can there be this much variance in heat from seemingly the same plant variety and planted in the same area? Did not seem to experience this type of heat range difference with the other varieties I grew.
Hmm... I may just forget about the Mucho Nacho altogether then, because I've heard similar complaints in a few places (including on the GardenWeb forums through a Google search).
And Potawie, I actually noticed the same thing last year with my habaneros: the fall ones were weak compared to the ones from summer.
And Potawie, I actually noticed the same thing last year with my habaneros: the fall ones were weak compared to the ones from summer.
A little update on my findings in case anyone cares...
Early Jalapeno: Very small plants. Produce small peppers for me, which seem to show some decent corking and look pretty good. But everything about these plants scream "is there something wrong," because the peppers rarely grow over an inch long and have a small diameter at the base, and some are pathetically small (as if their average size characteristics aren't bad enough...). The generic "Jalapeno" plants must be Early Jalapeno plants, because they have nearly identical traits. Peppers mature to an attractive bright red and have a very good flavor, as well as acceptable heat. They ripened early, as advertised. They'd be awesome if I could just get the plants to grow well and with bigger peppers... maybe they're just picky plants. Anyone else have trouble with this one? They're supposed to be as big as the Jalapeno M, but they're nowhere close. They remind me of serrano peppers in size.
Jalapeno M: Pending a taste test and close-up examination, as the fruits are not ripening yet. Much bigger than the Early, and nicely corked, but not near as much as the BBs. At least, not the last time I looked...
Biker Billy Hybrid: I love the looks of these. Very nice size to appearance ratio; not my biggest jalapenos, but certainly of good size and shape in general. Look really good with lots of corking. Mature to a darker red than the Early Jalapenos. Flavor, IMO, is not as good as the Early... but the heat is certainly higher. Overall, if this pepper turned a brighter red like the Earlies and had the same flavor, IMO, they would be perfect. The darker shade of red still looks pretty good though. Relatively early ripening, comparable to the Early Jalapeno in my case.
Mammoth Jalapeno: Meh... hardly any corking at all, they just look plain and ugly. They are, by far, my biggest jalapenos though, and growing on a big, sturdy plant. One pepper is finally turning red; I'll probably find out soon where this one stands in terms of flavor and heat. But unless it's awesome in both aspects, I probably won't grow it again... I'm just completely unimpressed with its appearance so far... too smooth and boring.
Mucho Nacho: I'm growing them, and to be honest, I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to them. Been busy with my chinenses and mostly attracted to the Biker Billy plant. I just remember they're small, but longer than the Earlies, and also on a small plant. The plant is shaded quite a bit by the garage compared to most of the rest.
Early Jalapeno: Very small plants. Produce small peppers for me, which seem to show some decent corking and look pretty good. But everything about these plants scream "is there something wrong," because the peppers rarely grow over an inch long and have a small diameter at the base, and some are pathetically small (as if their average size characteristics aren't bad enough...). The generic "Jalapeno" plants must be Early Jalapeno plants, because they have nearly identical traits. Peppers mature to an attractive bright red and have a very good flavor, as well as acceptable heat. They ripened early, as advertised. They'd be awesome if I could just get the plants to grow well and with bigger peppers... maybe they're just picky plants. Anyone else have trouble with this one? They're supposed to be as big as the Jalapeno M, but they're nowhere close. They remind me of serrano peppers in size.
Jalapeno M: Pending a taste test and close-up examination, as the fruits are not ripening yet. Much bigger than the Early, and nicely corked, but not near as much as the BBs. At least, not the last time I looked...
Biker Billy Hybrid: I love the looks of these. Very nice size to appearance ratio; not my biggest jalapenos, but certainly of good size and shape in general. Look really good with lots of corking. Mature to a darker red than the Early Jalapenos. Flavor, IMO, is not as good as the Early... but the heat is certainly higher. Overall, if this pepper turned a brighter red like the Earlies and had the same flavor, IMO, they would be perfect. The darker shade of red still looks pretty good though. Relatively early ripening, comparable to the Early Jalapeno in my case.
Mammoth Jalapeno: Meh... hardly any corking at all, they just look plain and ugly. They are, by far, my biggest jalapenos though, and growing on a big, sturdy plant. One pepper is finally turning red; I'll probably find out soon where this one stands in terms of flavor and heat. But unless it's awesome in both aspects, I probably won't grow it again... I'm just completely unimpressed with its appearance so far... too smooth and boring.
Mucho Nacho: I'm growing them, and to be honest, I haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to them. Been busy with my chinenses and mostly attracted to the Biker Billy plant. I just remember they're small, but longer than the Earlies, and also on a small plant. The plant is shaded quite a bit by the garage compared to most of the rest.
try this one monster jalapeno
