Naturalized Capsicum in Virginia?

3/5King said:
I don't get it. Seeds should be able to be left over the winter (in the ground) and pop up when it's warm out. Why wouldn't they? Forgive me if I'm being ignorant.
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Germination is about half the story... what I'm wondering is whether any Capsicum species can survive the winter and then go on to produce fruit with viable seed in a zone 5 or 6.  If a Capsicum species could survive on its own in this way, then it may be possible for it to naturalize in this environment.  Come to think of it, I had a C. chinense pop up on its own last year in a shady spot, got pretty big, maybe if it had better growing conditions it could have produced viable fruit in our short growing season.

JoynersHotPeppers said:
I can tell you every year in Delaware it happens to me. Chiltepin Amarillo, Lemon Drop and many Thai types seem to come up every year from fallen pods that get worked into the soil naturally over winter. I pulled about 50+ this yeah so I didn't have any unknowns and space was tight. 
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I'd think those Chiltepin Amarillo would be a good candidate to fruit in one season after germinating on their own... the amarillos I'm growing seem to be quite vigorous and strong plants.
 
the54 said:
I have had that happen for lots of plants here, Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and im in zone 2 or 3
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Not counting seeds from manure, i've seen it occasionally with tomatoes. Peppers seem to be a lot rarer, but i bet the type of pepper makes all the difference.
 
I do tend to cleanup at seasons end, and don't leave many rotting vegetables laying around.
 
Another thing i forgot, those oddball late april cold spells probably kill a lot of *naturalized* sprouts too, before we even notice that they are there.
 
Yeah, it would take the right genetics and a combination of factors like a protected spot to get established.  If someone really wanted to do this maybe one way would be to cross the two fastest to flower varieties you can get your hands on and grow out that F1 seed with hybrid vigor year after year until something sticks...
 
I have way too many volunteers from leaving rotting peppers in the soil. I have to deweed the peppers, lol. I'm also in VA. I don't think they would go wild, but the seeds went dormant in the winter and come up in spring.
 
Terravexti said:
I think for us in Virgina, The temp. zone has been moved to 7. Of course that is subject to change and difference in elevation.
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I've seen that too, but this area is already not very stable, depending on whether you're in a valley, aspect etc.  The nearest "big" town around here is Roanoke, about a 40 minute drive and they've always been a Zone 7 as far as I know...
 
This year I noticed several pepper volunteers in the "compost pile" (more of my dumping ground for all food and garden scraps, I don't really maintain it). There is no chance of them being naturalized here, way too many invasives to contend with. I weeded the area a bit to see what happens.

It's too early to make any definitive judgments, but the leaf structure reminds me of the Aji Habaneros and Malawi Peppadew I grew last year.
 
i'm in virginia as well... just noticed these little guys:
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They made it through being tilled 3 times, and covered in yard clippings several times... they seem to be growing fairly strong so i'm just going to leave them be and see what they turn into.
 
Yumyumyellow said:
i'm in virginia as well... just noticed these little guys:
 
They made it through being tilled 3 times, and covered in yard clippings several times... they seem to be growing fairly strong so i'm just going to leave them be and see what they turn into.
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They look pretty good, if you get enough sun maybe you'll get some fruit!  Keep us updated...
 
will do! they get a good amount of sun; they're in my main garden where my overwinters are. my guess is as good as anyone's... they could be any of last years strains.
 
My African birdseye volunteers grew from seeds that survived the winter and produced fruit in partial sun. The plants are very tiny but it's interesting they produced fruit and viable seeds. I thought it was impossible before, but I'm wondering if it is with African birdseyes. I have one last ripe fruit on one atm. My pequin plant is also going strong despite the cold tempatures, so maybe they could reseed themselves. 
 
Dulac said:
My African birdseye volunteers grew from seeds that survived the winter and produced fruit in partial sun. The plants are very tiny but it's interesting they produced fruit and viable seeds. I thought it was impossible before, but I'm wondering if it is with African birdseyes. I have one last ripe fruit on one atm. My pequin plant is also going strong despite the cold tempatures, so maybe they could reseed themselves. 
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Wow, that is very cool!  If a kind of local bird would take an interest in the fruit, maybe it could survive without humans...
 
Spicegeist said:
 
Wow, that is very cool!  If a kind of local bird would take an interest in the fruit, maybe it could survive without humans...
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They haven't bothered with the African birdseyes. I think because they are low and bushy. They go for the pequins and tobasco peppers, which tower the African birdseyes. The cold tolerant plant I mentioned gets picked on by birds. It appears to be some strain of pequin. Maybe it can reseed itself. I'll test it out for next spring.
 
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