A Bounty of Peppers!
I’ve got a bounty of peppers now, of bell, sweet and hot. The peppers are in full production mode! I took a quick break to walk out to the garden for a harvest.
Bell, Sweet and Hot Peppers (Click for larger image)
Once I got the peppers inside and on the counter, I thought they looked really pretty, so I took a photo. And keep in mind, this isn’t all of the peppers — many have already found their way into our tummies. Not to mention there are a ton still on the plants!
In the photo I have Park’s Sweet Banana, Park’s Sweet Pickle, Mini-Belle (in purple and red), Redskin (mostly green), a name-unknown bell and a Cambuci (very hot!). I’m waiting to taste the Cambuci before writing up a post on it, but it’s a really pretty plant and pepper.
A bounty of peppers indeed!
Still Planting Peppers
I’ve got another round of peppers to plant this weekend. Here in Florida, there’s still plenty of time to get in a second crop. So what’s on my agenda? Here’s what I have in mind, but it’s always subject to change.
- Datil
- Aurora
- Purple Jalapeno
- Jaloro (yellow jalapeno)
- Redskin (again — this is one nice bell pepper!)
- Starburst (ornamental pepper)
- Giant Anconcagua (again — absolutely huge sweet peppers!)
I might also go with another round of Pretty Purple Pepper and one of the Thai Hot varieties. I’m also debating adding a larger bell pepper to the list, or maybe Mohawk (the companion to Redskin).
So if you live in a climate where it’s warm (days at least in the 70’s) on up through October or November, come on and plant some more seeds! Or at least see if there are any plants for sale available nearby.
And for the rest of you who already have peppers out in the garden — may you have a bounty of peppers as well!
Redskin Pepper in the Garden
I decided to try the Redskin pepper, even knowing my track record with bell peppers hasn’t exactly been stellar. But I have to admit to being impressed with Redskin. Finally, a bell pepper that actually produces for me in South Florida!
Planting Redskin Pepper
I had to plant this versatile pepper from seed, as there were none in the local garden shops.  The plant started out a little spindly at first, but started growing nicely once in the garden.
Given my luck with bell peppers, I planted 4 Redskins, hoping at least 1 would produce some peppers. Whoa! They all are producing nice little bells.
Now Redskin doesn’t grow as large as traditional bell peppers, but it’s a great “personal size” snack. My peppers are around 4″ long and maybe 2.5″ wide. The taste is quite pleasing, even when green. And speaking of color, this pepper is red when fully ripe.
Low-Growing Pepper
This pepper is a low growing pepper — wider than it is tall. This makes it fantastic for growing in containers! In fact, I have 3 of my Redskins in containers and only one in the ground (and yes, they do grow a bit taller in the ground).
For someone who traditionally cannot grow bell peppers, this one is thriving and gets an “A” in my book! Looks to me like I will have plenty this year. So if you’ve been having problems growing bell peppers, this is one variety I recommend you trying.
Growing Thai Hot Peppers
Growing Thai Hot Peppers means you’re growing a delight.  The low-growing plant blossoms profusely and produces a bounty of bright red peppers, pointing upwards.
A Little About the Peppers
Thai Hot is equally at home in a container or in the ground. A three-gallon container will suit this pretty little pepper just fine. You might even be able to get away with a 1-gallon container, if you keep it well-watered and fertilized.
I have the plant in the photo (and by the way, you can click on the photo to see a larger picture) growing in the ground, and it’s about 8-inches tall. It’s also spread about 7 inches in diameter.
Now in the photo you only see 3 red peppers, but see all those blossoms and blossom buds? In a couple of weeks, the plant will be covered with peppers.
Can You Eat the Peppers?
Sure you can, but be warned –they aren’t called “Thai Hot” for nothing! One chopped pepper (with seeds) can easily season a large bowl of chili.
Speaking of the peppers, they are only about 3/4″ tall. They aren’t large, but they are potent.
But the charm of these peppers is ornamental. They make a great garden border, looking like bright red flowers. And of course, you could each day pick a few of the peppers in the border and you’d never see a difference.
Growing Thai Hot Peppers
My pepper plant survived some very chilly weather early this season, with temperatures down in the 30’s. It was a little sad-looking until the cold weather passed, but then came back admirably.
As with all chile peppers, they like warm weather and plenty of sunshine. I mentioned that you can grow these in containers easily, and Thai Hot could certainly be grown indoors under lights.
An an FYI, there is a larger variety, called Giant Thai Hot. I haven’t tried it yet, but the peppers get to about 2″ long, instead of the normal 1/2 to 3/4 inches. There’s also a version that has orange peppers instead of red.
