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Top 5 Picks

Ok so I was thinking maybe this was a weird time to ask a question like this as it is really early but then I thought now is a pretty good time as most people's plants are really starting to come along and make an impression. I just found out recently that I will most likely have to move from a house to an apartment next year, so my grand plans for a second season with 50 some odd plants goes down the drain and I now am looking at having room for 5 good plants with maybe one or two more. So bearing in mind your past experiences and current season experiences my question is:

If you had to choose just 5 plants to grow what would they be?

I am really looking to choose 5 that are prolific, hearty, and will span a great range of culinary uses as that is the main reason why I grow all these peppers. I also want to keep in mind that things like jalapenos and serranos are readily available at the store, all be it crappy ones, but they are also readily available at our farmer's markets and of better quality. So I want to get some opinions before introducing any bias with what I was thinking.

Thanks
 
2 suggestions. Chile de arbol are great for making salsa. Not much flavor but just spicy enough to satisfy and most sissies can still eat the salsa. I personally love habaneros for the flavor and the heat.
 
Barrackpore 7, Fatali, Chocolate Bhut Jolokia, white bullet habanero, and inca drop. Other good choices depending on weather you want more mild or hot... Brown 7, any scorpion, jamaican hot chocolate, avenir and heritage big jim.
 
I'd have to go for;

Bahamian Goat Pepper
Bhut Jolokia Assam or a Trinidad Scorpion
7pot/pod Douglah
Fatalii or Scotch Bonnet TFM
Hot Fish
a bit of color, varying degrees of heat, a range of shapes and flavours :hell:
 
For prolific and hearty, my experience has been Jalapeno Early, Orange Habanero, Aji Limon, and Mesilla. The latter three gave me well in excess of 100 pods each, last year, in pots !!!! The Jal Early was more like 30-40 pods, but the Jal Early is an indestructible plant that can take almost any level of abuse and keep on tickin'. At least in my yard, the Mesilla is a phenomenally tough high-producing plant that keeps on pumping out pods well into October. The Aji Limon gave me 324 pods last year and covered about 20 square feet (4 x 5 feet) with its heavily laden branches.

Another very hearty, productive plant is the Hottie, which is sort of a hybridized Orange Hab, about 1.5x the size of an Orange hab and half the heat. Another plant that requires no attention and just keeps pumping them out. I think i forgot to fertilize my Hottie all season - it never got fed once, and was in ProMix with no nutritional content - and still gave me 100+ good quality pods.
 
Someone asked the exact same question a few months ago.
 
Someone asked the exact same question a few months ago.
And a few months before that too, and a few....... But it seems people's answers always change :)

For me
Jalapenos, serannos, or fresnos
Fatalii, yellow7, Bonda ma Jacques, or Yellow CARDI
Pequin/tepin
NuMex/Anaheim types
Yellow Scotch bonnets(Real SBs)
 
I like this kind of posts.

My pick:

Tepin (C. Annuum) or Piri-Piri (C. Frutescens)
Fatalii (C. Chinense)
Chocolate Habanero (C. Chinense)
Hot Lemon (C. Baccatum)
Rocoto Orange (C. Pubescens)

This way you'll have great flavour and heat range, plant diversity and pleasant fruit color selection.

Bleash
 
i like Bleash's picks. Very diverse and easy to cook with.

For me, in no particular order.

1. Hungarian Hot Wax
2. Aji Lemon
3. Jalapeno
4. Bhut Jolokia
5. Tabascos or any type of frutescens.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I was thinking about the following:
1. Big Jim as my mild stuffing type pepper
2. White bullet Hab as my go to bring the heat pepper
3. Super Chili for the prolific production and use in asian cuisine
4. Orange Hab because I just love them
5. Still undecided on this one thinking maybe a fatalli or a douglah if I feel like punishment.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions. Can anyone comment as to how prolific and difficult(or not) the Arbols are?
 
Mine would be and in no particular order

1. Yellow 7 pot
2. Chocolate bhut
3. Goat weed
4. Congo red/yellow
5. Jalapeno/fresnos
 
I too enjoy these sort of threads.
great for people looking for new varietys to try :P

i'm still somewhat inexperianced, but heres a few ideas to ponder.

ring of fire - seems to be a good producer
jalapeno - gotta have them... maybe a high-yield variety?
mohawk, redskin, ect. - mini "patio" peppers, good sized sweet peppers on a plant that would fit well on a countertop or something.
hot lemon - something a little differnt maybe?
tepin, chili pyramid, ect - I have an ornamental variety called little blue. these are another that could eaisly fit on a counter or table, and some look great too!

good luck!
 
Really hard to say and it will probably change the next time you ask me, but:
  1. African Birdseye
  2. Anaheim
  3. Caribbean Red
  4. Jalapeño
  5. Scotch Bonnet TFM
 
I like these threads too, and my list always changes sooo

Jalapeno or Hot wax type
Serrano
Cayenne, De arbol, super chile, or Asian clustering type
Any frutescens (Birdseye, bird, or Tabasco)
Any of the chinense depending on your heat tolerance/preference

I wish I could of squeezed a baccatum on there but...

Serranos are the favorite at my house
 
My 5 Desert Island plants would be:

Bhut Jolokia
Fatalii
Biker Billy Jalapeno
Serrano
Thai Dragon or Cayenne

- hey Potawie, I know you like Fresnos - do you know of a good seed source for some hot Fresnos? I've been growing these ones I got in Wegmans a few years ago and they're pretty bland. I know they must be some sort of mass market, disease resistant hybrid - they grow really well and are productive, but just lacking in overall flavor and heat.
 
Sorry BigT, I need a new seeds source for fresnos too. I forgot to save seeds and am not growing any this year :(
There seems to be a lot of complaints lately about "fresnos" not being hot, they've probably been bred (like jalapenos) for the gringo market
 
I am really looking to choose 5 that are prolific, hearty, and will span a great range of culinary uses as that is the main reason why I grow all these peppers.


I am in a similar situation. Although I have a town home and have a lower and upper patio I can only grow about 10 plants between the 2 patios. Since It's difficult getting water to the upper patio I purchased a couple of earth boxes and they work great. The only problem is 2 plants really isn't enough room so what I did this year was make my own from a 30 gallon container that's the same length, but a few inches wider and about 6-8" taller. The new box works really well and the roots are not growing out of the top.

Here is what i'm growing this year.

Trinidad Scorpio
Chocalate Hab
Ahi Lemon
Ahi Cereza
Cajamirica
Jalepeno

I cook often and make quit a few sauces. I found that the above list covers just about all of my needs. I have some peppers that I grew last year which are now powdered that I still use, but that list includes sweet, spicy, citrus, dark, and fresh. Just about everything you need. I also grow a few herbs to go along with the peppers.

Basil
Cilantro
Oregano
Dill
Rosemary
 
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