The Crafty Cultivator

Oops, I had this post mostly done back in February and clearly forgot to post it, so here we go… I sowed these on February 8th and just potted these up yesterday (March 22) into 4 inch pots.

Last year was such a fantastic year for the Cayenne Peppers in my garden. The Alma Paprika I grew also did quite well, as did the random assortment of other peppers I grew… but nothing could hold a candle to the Cayennes. I have a completely different lineup this year, with the exception of the Cayenne. So without rambling on for 8 more paragraphs like this is a food blog, I’m going to do my usual lists.

• Cayenne Long Slim Hot
  • Days to Maturity: 75 days
  • Seed Source: MI Gardener, from 2020
  • Description on the Seed Packet: “Do not be deceived by the size, these peppers pack a lot of heat and flavor. This variety is high yeilding and grows 4-6″ long and 1/2″ wide. Slightly hotter than jalapenos, this variety has a multitude of uses in the kitchen. Fresh, canned, used in pickling, or dried, cayenne is the perfect type for adding a kick to any recipe.”
  • NOTES: My plants from this seed packet in 2020 were INCREDIBLE. I have more than a quart jar of dried peppers on my shelf just waiting to be ground into homemade/homegrown Cayenne Pepper.

• Large Red Cherry
  • Days to Maturity: 75 days
  • Seed Source: MI Gardener, from 2020
  • Description on the Seed Packet: “Other wise known as the cherry bomb, this pepper packs a punch! Plants produce small round peppers that resemble cherries. The production on the plants is average, but on good years they can produce 70-80 peppers per plant in a northern growing season. Southern states would have even better yields. Tolerates shock very well in comparison to other pepper varieties. It doesn’t drop flowers when moved outside, and it can be cut back and brought inside without a problem.”
  • NOTES: I started these last year, but they didn’t survive the neglect that happens when I get obsessed with my tomatoes. They get a do-over this year to see if they are worth adding to my “regulars” like the Cayenne.

• Peter Pepper
  • Days to Maturity: Its not on the seed packet, but a quick google search of “peter pepper days to maturity” comes up with 60-80 days
  • Seed Source: Richter’s, from 2021
  • Description from the Richter’s website (since there is no description on their seed packet, just growing info): “(Penis pepper) An heirloom pepper that undeniably looks like an uncircumcised penis. It is perhaps not for everybody, but if you are growing this in your garden for all to see, it does help to have a healthy dose of humour. This unusual chile is actually quite edible and hot. 10,000-23,000 Scoville units”
  • NOTES: I have a weird sense of humour and as soon as I saw these a couple years ago, I wanted to grow them. This year, I finally took the plunge and ordered the seeds, so we’ll see how they grow here.

• Paprik
  • Days to Maturity: 90 days
  • Seed Source: West Coast Seeds, from 2021
  • Description from the Seed Packet: “The deep red colour and distinctive flavour remain intact when the fruits are dried and ground into paprika. The pods have small seed cavities, and turn from a scarlet to dark brown as they dry. Fruits average 12cm (4″) long. 90 days, OP”
  • NOTES: I grew the Alma Paprika pepper last year, and while they grew pretty good, because of their round shape and thick skin, they didn’t dry evenly or consistently… So when I saw these, I wanted to try them and see how homemade/homegrown paprika turns out with this much different variety.

• Shishito
  • Days to Maturity: 60 days
  • Seed Source: West Coast Seeds, from 2021
  • Description from the Seed Packet: “They may be the perfect bite-sized pepper for blistering under the broiler and serving with a sauce. The 60cm (24″) tall plants produced buckets of slender, mild peppers in our field trials, and they kept producing into October. 60 days, F1”
  • NOTES: I grabbed these on a whim. They won me over with the description and the fast maturity time. Typically I try and stick with OP/Heirloom seeds, so this is the only F1 Pepper that I’m growing. Not that there is anything wrong with F1’s… I just have an interest in seed saving and as a general rule, F1’s don’t grow true to type, and they are more expensive than heirlooms.

• Aji Charapita
  • Days to Maturity:
  • Seed Source: Baker Creek, from 2021
  • Description from Seed Packet:
  • NOTES: When I read about these in ‘The Whole Seed Catalogue; 2020’ That Baker Creek produces, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So when I put in my seed order in the late fall (to beat the inevitable rush again this year), of course these made the cut. I always like to add in a few things that are different into my garden each year, so we’ll see how these do.

• Purple Beauty
  • Days to Maturity: 70-75 days
  • Seed Source: West Coast Seeds, From 2021
  • Description from the Seed Packet: “The best purple pepper around. The short, bushy plants produce up to 12 blocky fruits each. The colour transforms from greeen to purple to deep red, and the fruits are edible in each phase. Purple Beauty is resistant to Mosaic Virus. 70-75 days, OP”
  • NOTES: I was going to stick with growing my hot peppers from seed and just buy some sweet/bell peppers as plant starts, but then these caught my eye and I couldn’t resist. We’ll see how they do on the patio this summer, and hopefully I’ll have some homegrown peppers for fresh eating this summer, and adding to sauces in the fall.

So that is the rundown of the peppers I have started from seed this year. As usual, I started them in peat pellets, and there are 2 each of the Cayenne, Paprik, Purple Beauty, Aji Chaparita and Peter, and 1 each of the Shisito and the Large Red Cherry. Ideally, I will keep 2 little plants together to grow on, as I have found that they tend to grow better with a friend.

Peppers of Previous Years:

2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016

Going through all the old photos from previous years on this blog, I realise that I need to get back to documenting my garden with more than just words. We’ll see how it goes this year, because I know work is going to be crazy. But its so nice to look back at those photos and remember how good things in my gardens were doing… especially at this time of year, when we have extreme cold warnings and windchills in the -40’s.