Seed Stock Purity

[Ben1287]

I'm curious if anyone here has kept records on how often you get crosses when growing different varieties in close proximity to one another. Do you get crosses more often than not, or less? I'm curious because I've harvested seeds from some plants that I allowed to open pollinate last year.

 

[Robisburning]

It will be a function of the number of flowers on the plant in question and the number of flowers and their distance on other plants. (I tried really hard not to say "depends" which obviously you know and provides no useful information).  My limited experience shows with a row of 5 different pepper plants, about 2 feet apart, all flowering at the same time perhaps 3/10 seeds will be a cross.
 
If you are keen on OP seeds I would recommend planting like plants with like so any cross is less likely to have a drastic effect.  If my superhots cross with one another, I can live with basically any offspring they produce, it will still make me cry like a little girl.  Likewise if my Serrano and Jalapeno cross so be it.  This table is useful:
 
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pepper/2003044441005626.html
 
Consider planting your lest likely to cross combinations close to each other.

 

[Ragnar]

You roll the dice unless you isolate seed yourself. I'm with Rob though, if seed came out of the pod you want you know it's going to be at least 1/2 awesome, and if you get a hybrid then it may be something new and awesome that no one else will have seen or tried.
 
 
All that said, I'll be taking the time to isolate seedstock for many of the peppers I have going this year -- if they grow true! Most are open-pollinated and I am already seeing what appear to be crosses. For instance, I grew 6 cumari do paras from two different pods hoping to get at least half true, which is just what I got. Two different pod phenotypes. I'm stoked to try them out!
 
Out of say 20 varieties I have podding up so far I see 3 that have questionable pods early on. I'll be happy if say at least 40/50 cultivars grow true

 

[KiNGDeNNiZ]

You roll the dice when you grow more than ONE... unless you grow jus one.. anything is a possibility

 

[Dave2000]

I group like plants together, then the next group right next to the last group... not trying very hard to prevent crosses.  I almost never get crosses between annuums and chinense even with them no more than a couple dozen feet away, but often, perhaps 25% of seed between chinense and about the same between annuums end up crosses.
 
To compensate I just start more plants than I need and see what I end up with, usually not being too upset to get crosses because they're still 50% one thing I liked enough to grow and 50% something else I also liked enough to grow.    I just don't like it much when a jalapeno crosses with anything, preferring either pure jalapeno or 0% jalapeno in a pepper.