Chilis and Gardening

[Bhu]

I'm going in with some friends this year who own farmland to raise food (mostly salad and chili stuff, onions, peppers, herbs, maybe some potatoes). I've only ever raised jalapenos, habaneros, and some thai peppers and am looking to expand. Would like to try poblanos or other crops this year as well and am looking for advice (i live in central ohio). May try brussel sprouts as well.

[inexorabletruth]

Hell is in Michigan. :smallamused:

Anyway... I'm not sure what kind of advice you are looking for. You sound like you know what you're going to do.

Are you looking for advice on how to grow them?

[Lycan 01]

I've grown Cayenne Peppers before. They're not too hard to grow, though I'm in Mississippi, and IIRC, they grow best in really hot, near-tropical locations. I'm not too familiar with the climate of Ohio, but I think its a safe bet to assume that its not nearly as hot or humid as Mississippi. So, you may have a bit tougher time getting some peppers to grow as well.

I'd suggest doing more research into the climate and stuff they need to grow. It'd suck if you planted something and took good care of it, only for it to fail to thrive due to your location. :smalleek:

[Tebryn]

I've grown Cayenne Peppers before. They're not too hard to grow, though I'm in Mississippi, and IIRC, they grow best in really hot, near-tropical locations. I'm not too familiar with the climate of Ohio, but I think its a safe bet to assume that its not nearly as hot or humid as Mississippi. So, you may have a bit tougher time getting some peppers to grow as well.

Ohio can get quite humid, it can get into the 70 dewpoint range especially during the spring and summer with temps in the 90's during the summer. I'd say you should go for it. He's clearly already grown peppers with success after all.

[Trog]

I'm going in with some friends this year who own farmland to raise food (mostly salad and chili stuff, onions, peppers, herbs, maybe some potatoes). I've only ever raised jalapenos, habaneros, and some thai peppers and am looking to expand. Would like to try poblanos or other crops this year as well and am looking for advice (i live in central ohio). May try brussel sprouts as well.

Any advice for growing thai peppers? :smallsmile: I make thai food every other week just about so I go through a lot of them but the ones at the grocery store go bad in a hurry so I've been kicking around the idea of growing parsley, cilantro and thai peppers in maybe a few pots out on the patio or something since I use so much of them on a consistent basis. I don't really have any gardening advice myself, unfortunately. =/

[Dark Elf Bard]

Cayenne peppers are pretty easy to grow as long as you live some where warm. Also, rain helps, but you could just water them a lot.

[THAC0]

I'm growing cayennes this year. I have two or three that have survived until now (started inside in pots). I'm starting to harden them to outside and need to get them in the ground at the end of the week.

[Kneenibble]

I live in a Plant Hardiness Zone 2, and I grow cayenne peppers every year. I start them indoors about now and plant out in late May. They need a lot of sun and good drainage, and I like to use thatch as mulch to keep their roots cool: other than that, their care requirements are minimal and the seed is always true to type.

Apparently, since they are natively a perennial, you can also keep them in pots and bring them inside over winter. My original seeds several years ago came from a woman who did just that.

That is the only pepper I have ever attempted, though! Surely others are more finicky. I'd like to hear about your results with them, Bhu.

[Bhu]

Hell is in Michigan. :smallamused:

Anyway... I'm not sure what kind of advice you are looking for. You sound like you know what you're going to do.

Are you looking for advice on how to grow them?


Easy crops to grow, things to look for that could be troublesome like blight or pests, stuff thats easy to can/dry/preserve, etc


Any advice for growing thai peppers? :smallsmile: I make thai food every other week just about so I go through a lot of them but the ones at the grocery store go bad in a hurry so I've been kicking around the idea of growing parsley, cilantro and thai peppers in maybe a few pots out on the patio or something since I use so much of them on a consistent basis. I don't really have any gardening advice myself, unfortunately. =/


The Thai peppers i planted turned out to be a bush full grown :smalleek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird%27s_eye_chili

use a 10 gallon bucket at minimum for containers or space them out in the ground. The peppers are small, look kind of like berries, and you get hundreds per bush if it gets big enough. Parsley and cilantro are easy, you can do them in containers.



Current list we have is : lettuce, red cabbage, potatoes, sweet corn, kidney/pinto/black/butter/green beans, chives, cilantro, habaneros, pepperoncinis, radishes, garlic, strawberries, tomatoes, onions of various sorts (and I'd like to add brussels sprouts, poblanos, and some other mexican or south american chilis i havent tried), What we add will depend on how many people go in and how much space we can get. Currently we have my friends yard, an acre on his moms farm, my patio, and a few acres on another friends place if we can get them plowed.


Also advice on stuff that lasts well canned/dried, and what not to plant to close to one another.

[Bhu]

Finding seeds for black beans is surprisingly difficult offline...

[Kneenibble]

Finding seeds for black beans is surprisingly difficult offline...

Seeds for black beans are, surprisingly, black beans. :smallwink:

Dry beans from a grocery store will grow perfectly well.

[Bhu]

Do they process them in any way besides drying? If they dry the beans in ovens might that not kill them off?

[Kneenibble]

Do they process them in any way besides drying? If they dry the beans in ovens might that not kill them off?

I'm not certain how they are dried commercially, to be honest: but you can make sprouts from them, so they cannot be dead. If the grocery store has had the bag for a few years, their viability might have fallen quite a bit, but that should be it.

The easiest way to assure yourself would be to buy a package and soak a few in water for a few days to see if they quicken. I can almost promise that they will.

[Bhu]

how does one tell if they are quickening?

[Trog]

how does one tell if they are quickening?

There will be one less of them and there will be an unusual wind and electrical arcs centered on the one bean that is doing so.

[Kneenibble]

There will be one less of them and there will be an unusual wind and electrical arcs centered on the one bean that is doing so.

*hugs*
You're a gardener too?!


how does one tell if they are quickening?

After three days or so, the bean will be swelled up, the skin split, the two halves of the bean might be separated, and a tiny nub of a tail will develop from the embryo. If it is dead the bean will remain inert, will not swell up as much, and the skin usually stays whole.

If you try it, make sure to change the water each day or they might just rot.

[Yanagi]

I'm going in with some friends this year who own farmland to raise food (mostly salad and chili stuff, onions, peppers, herbs, maybe some potatoes). I've only ever raised jalapenos, habaneros, and some thai peppers and am looking to expand. Would like to try poblanos or other crops this year as well and am looking for advice (i live in central ohio). May try brussel sprouts as well.

If you want an interesting chile, try the Rocoto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocoto).


You might also want to try thechilewoman.com (www.thechilewoman.com). She has a huge variety of stuff from all over the world.

Is there any specific cuisine you like cooking? That might give some direction to suggestions.

[Bhu]

If you want an interesting chile, try the Rocoto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocoto).


You might also want to try thechilewoman.com (www.thechilewoman.com). She has a huge variety of stuff from all over the world.

Is there any specific cuisine you like cooking? That might give some direction to suggestions.

Chili, stir fry, salads
I'll do anything really I just want more variety than jalapeno, habanero, hot wax pepper...


Much thanks for the website!!

crap she's been hit by tornados...

[Yanagi]

Chili, stir fry, salads
I'll do anything really I just want more variety than jalapeno, habanero, hot wax pepper...


Much thanks for the website!!

crap she's been hit by tornados...

Her website..and the various gardening sites like it...spur my collector's impulse. All the different varieties of things, the obscure foodstuffs that sound intriguing...I just need fifteen years of work and a garden that spans three or four climate zones and I can be content!

Serranos - the little, thin green ones like rifle rounds, same color as jalapenos. They're the most commonly-used type in Mexican cuisine, and can be subbed in for other types of green chiles from India, Thailand, etc.

Poblano - fat large dark green ones...not intensely hot but great flavor. Often stuffed or cut into strips (rajas)...also used in many molles. Also used for chile relleno.

If you like the taste of habanero, you might consider its kin, the Scotch Bonnet, which is synonymous with Jamaican food. More obscure, there's the heatless Aji Dulce, which has habanero-like flavor without the burn.

If your taste in stir fry extends to Sichuan food, consider Facing Heaven Peppers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facing_heaven_chili)...though honestly I only know of them used dried. The other chile-intensive cuisine in China is Hunan, but I don't know if the have a specific cultivar they use and grow.

Not well know in the US but deserving of attention, there's the South American chiles. They're fruity and hot like habanero, but different...it's hard to quantify. Aji amarillo is the most commonly used...I use a lot to add zip to stuff--soup, eggs, potato dishes--and I love the flavor...lemon, tropical fruit, and a pretty intense burn. Latin American stores sometimes have aji paste, which is a great secret, last-minute addition to foods.

[Bhu]

thanks guys. I'm going through a bunch of seed catalogs now if anyone wants links to stuff.

[Bhu]

omg the lady i ordered beans from gave me a free packet of basil as a thank you for ordering! :smallsmile: