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What to grow up north?
- Thread starter Capsicum
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Grow the Maya Red. I have non-isolated seed from last year if you want some.
I'm in zone 5b as well. I've been growing C. Annuums for quite a few years so no problem there. I don't see why you couldn't grow Habaneros if you start them inside soon enough. I started some Orange Habs along with my other peppers the first weekend in February. The Habs were the last peppers to germinate and are growing the slowest, but they're about an inch high, or so, and have their second set of true leaves. I'll probably transplant them into an unheated hoophouse the middle of April and in their final places outside the 20th of May if the weather co-operates.
I live in North Eastern Illinois, nearly on the wisconsin border and I grow Habanero plants. They are very prolific for the size that they get. I usually bought pre grown plants from home depot and dropped them in the dirt. Never paid any special care and watered when needed. I was picking peppers for months. I would say off of a roughly 2 foot plant I harvested 50-75 chiles over the season.
I'm also up in 5b, and I didn't have any problems with a habanero I purchased in July. It was a pretty bad looking little plant when I got it, and I never really had a chance to do much with it, but I don't think it would have done too bad throughout the year up here either.
Rocotos (c. pubescens) are also supposedly good with the cold, but some recent reading in a pepper book indicated that they are NOT frost tolerant, and will only really re-shoot after the plant has been established for a while. Still, I'm growing a few that I got from the NMCPI this year just to try them out.
Rocotos (c. pubescens) are also supposedly good with the cold, but some recent reading in a pepper book indicated that they are NOT frost tolerant, and will only really re-shoot after the plant has been established for a while. Still, I'm growing a few that I got from the NMCPI this year just to try them out.
You can grow any of the 5 domesticated species except pubescens quite easily in zone 5B with a decent head start. I'm also in zone 5B and for me bird types, chinenses, and baccatums are the easiest to grow and the best producers. Annums don't generally do as well except for serranos. Serranos produce like crazy and are very cold tolerant. They continue to grow and produce for several weeks after everythong else dies.
+1 I've seen some very big plants on YT from up north. I think you guys can grow anything up there as long as you start em early indoors. I'm in zone 8a so no personal experience except when I lived up north in Connecticut (I only grew jalapenos there).
I noticed my Thai dragon peppers (a bird type) did very well when it got could down here. They were still alive in December, lol. Not producing though. I highly recommend this plant.
I'd add some varieties of Korean Annuums that are bred to grow and produce well in the highlands there. I put in six plants last year and got a pint of dried chili flakes from them after drying them and putting them through the blender.
cayenne, jalapeno, Cheyenne, Apache and any new Hybrid out there with a short harvest window you will have plenty to melt your tongue!
and if you start inside (like potawie said) you can plant anything and have good results!
and if you start inside (like potawie said) you can plant anything and have good results!
For your first season, you're limited by the time to maturity and the ripening time. Annums are the obvious choice, but if you can give them sufficient head-start you might also have luck with the chinenses. White Habaneros are pretty quick to mature for a chinense. Baccatums I would probably avoid unless you can also give them a good head-start, as they are very slow to ripen on the whole. Pubescens, while good in theory because of their relative cold tolerance, are incredibly slow to mature. My Rocotos got to be over 8 feet last year but I only got 4 ripe peppers off 4 plants.
However, if you're interested in overwintering, it doesn't really matter. Once a pepper is mature, it will continue to produce in subsequent years. Several of my chinenses have been putting out new peppers all through winter and will continue doing so once they're planted out. The pubescens will probably have a first flush of pods in the spring and into early summer; most pubescens are more sensitive to heat than other species and actually won't set pods if it's hot out, so you might also look into them if you plan on overwintering.
However, if you're interested in overwintering, it doesn't really matter. Once a pepper is mature, it will continue to produce in subsequent years. Several of my chinenses have been putting out new peppers all through winter and will continue doing so once they're planted out. The pubescens will probably have a first flush of pods in the spring and into early summer; most pubescens are more sensitive to heat than other species and actually won't set pods if it's hot out, so you might also look into them if you plan on overwintering.
Capsicum
Banned
Tell me what will be most productive. I do not over winter and I can get 4 packs of jalapeno really cheap and I am not sure what else they will have. I want to grow more then just jalapeno but they are one of my main crops. I am doing 30 or more plants this year.
Wow I am learning the different types, thanks so much !!!Peppers are very interesting!!
I see why Cayenne and Jalapeno do so well then, even the first year. Habs are more productive in year 2?
And I see Serrano are annuum as well, very nice.
A fellow 5b pepper grower, so I thought I’d weigh in. With some advanced planning, you can grow just about any pepper variety. With an early enough start, all the C. Chinense are doable. I’ve grown 7 Pots (4+ ft.), Habs., Bhuts, Nagas, Scotch Bonnets, the Trinidads, etc. (all the usual suspects). The key is to get an early start on the seeds for my target plant out date around Memorial Day. Annums will do fine as well. Easy to start and grow with good yields. You mentioned Jalapenos, Cayennes, and Serranos (one of my all around favorites). You may want to consider Fresnos and the Numex varieties (i.e. Anaheim, Big Jim and Joe E. Parker) and the Asian types (Thai hots) as well. I also grow a fair number of ornamental peppers (Royal Black is a beautiful plant) that I grow in pots and place out on the deck. They are easier to maintain all season than flowers and have a high wife acceptance factor. The C. Baccatums I grow (Aji Limon, Lemon Drop, Inca Red Drop, Aji Orange, Brazilian Starfish) are big plants (4+ ft.) with loads of pods. I am scaling back on the number of these I plant because they are so prolific.
Keep in mind that if one only buys plants from the big box centers or garden centers (at least in my area) you are limiting yourself on the varieties of peppers (especially the C. Chinense) that can be grown. It was this limited availability issue that got me into growing peppers from seed in the first place.
The varieties that I’ve not been successful with are the C. Pubscens (roccoto) that never did ripen the year that I grew them and last year’s C. Frutescen (Bradley Bahamian) that did the same. I’m trying a couple of different types of the latter this year to see if I can obtain better results. I am not into over wintering, but reports that I’ve read is that the roccoto would be a better producer in year two.
The major factor on the success of the season we here in the North are faced with are weather variables. Cold springs, early frost or cold temps. in the fall all have the effect of shortening the growing season. We can do some things to extend the season (hot house covers) but my pepper garden is to large to cost effectively pursue such devices. “It is what it is” I guess when it comes to Mother Nature. Last two years have been great, early starts with no frost and the season extending well into October. In 2009 was the opposite, over 50% of the crop never ripening!
Good luck on your upcoming season!! That are a number of very knowledgeable people on THP, lots of good information can be obtained from perusing the numerous message boards.
Note after re-reading your last post: Do not worry about Hab. yield in year two. Assuming that you’ve got good plants and a reasonably growing environment, you will have more peppers than you know what to do with.
Keep in mind that if one only buys plants from the big box centers or garden centers (at least in my area) you are limiting yourself on the varieties of peppers (especially the C. Chinense) that can be grown. It was this limited availability issue that got me into growing peppers from seed in the first place.
The varieties that I’ve not been successful with are the C. Pubscens (roccoto) that never did ripen the year that I grew them and last year’s C. Frutescen (Bradley Bahamian) that did the same. I’m trying a couple of different types of the latter this year to see if I can obtain better results. I am not into over wintering, but reports that I’ve read is that the roccoto would be a better producer in year two.
The major factor on the success of the season we here in the North are faced with are weather variables. Cold springs, early frost or cold temps. in the fall all have the effect of shortening the growing season. We can do some things to extend the season (hot house covers) but my pepper garden is to large to cost effectively pursue such devices. “It is what it is” I guess when it comes to Mother Nature. Last two years have been great, early starts with no frost and the season extending well into October. In 2009 was the opposite, over 50% of the crop never ripening!
Good luck on your upcoming season!! That are a number of very knowledgeable people on THP, lots of good information can be obtained from perusing the numerous message boards.
Note after re-reading your last post: Do not worry about Hab. yield in year two. Assuming that you’ve got good plants and a reasonably growing environment, you will have more peppers than you know what to do with.
Mipepperguy nailed it, I've been gardening all over for the last 21 years and you can grow virtually anything as long as you have good soil, give it an early start, lots of water and sunlight.
Capsicum
Banned
Keep in mind that if one only buys plants from the big box centers or garden centers (at least in my area) you are limiting yourself on the varieties of peppers (especially the C. Chinense) that can be grown. It was this limited availability issue that got me into growing peppers from seed in the first place.
I simply do not have the room, time, or patience to start from seed. But I can grow very well. I grow spring and fall crops from seed and herbs but I buy my tomato and peppers started.
"Note after re-reading your last post: Do not worry about Hab. yield in year two. Assuming that you’ve got good plants and a reasonably growing environment, you will have more peppers than you know what to do with."
Thanks!!!!!!
I simply do not have the room, time, or patience to start from seed. But I can grow very well. I grow spring and fall crops from seed and herbs but I buy my tomato and peppers started.
"Note after re-reading your last post: Do not worry about Hab. yield in year two. Assuming that you’ve got good plants and a reasonably growing environment, you will have more peppers than you know what to do with."
Thanks!!!!!!
Being from CT (6A) I've grown all sorts of different varieties with success. The big deal is starting on time, the temps are pretty okay throughout the summer as long as it isn't a cold and rainy one.
I'm curious about the C. pub varieties as I'm trying them for the first time this year. How early did you start if the pods never ripened on time? Would I fare better from leaving one or two plants in large containers and just hoping for next season or perhaps trying to fruit over the winter indoors?
I'm curious about the C. pub varieties as I'm trying them for the first time this year. How early did you start if the pods never ripened on time? Would I fare better from leaving one or two plants in large containers and just hoping for next season or perhaps trying to fruit over the winter indoors?