Growing hot peppers - any tips?

[GO 4LO]

Just ordered a bunch of hot pepper seeds - do any of you guys that grow these things have any tips for me? Everything I've seen makes it sound pretty easy - start 'em in a paper towel, transplant 'em when they sprout, and get 'em light when they leaf. Is that all there is to it?



Chris

 

[fkovalski]

... have any tips for me? ...

Don't wipe yer eyes after planting them :-laf

 

[nps]

- do any of you guys that grow these things have any tips for me?

Chris

After picking them always, and I mean ALWAYS, wash your hands thoroughly before taking a leak.

 

[fkovalski]

... wash your hands thoroughly before taking a leak.

Yea! Don't want to get anything on yer hootus that 'aint supposed to be there. :-laf

 

[loncray]

That's good advice for ANY noxious substance - hot pepper capsaicin, Herculiner, women other'n your wife if you're married..... :-laf

 

[gonehuntingagain]

I have had a hard time when trying to get the darn seeds to grow. Instead, I just went to the local garden store and bought started plants. This way I get to eat them several weeks earlier than trying from seeds. A friends dad used to grow them and if he wanted hot peppers, he would stop watering them a week or so before he picked them.

I planted 6 plants of jalapenos and 6 big jim peppers and had a metric butt-ton of peppers last year.

 

[rubberneck]

I had heard that also, that you should cut the watering to make them hotter. Anybody else have any info on that?. Oh yeah, Is a metric butt-ton more or less than a Domestic butt-ton?? :-laf :-laf

 

[tugboatphil]

After picking them always, and I mean ALWAYS, wash your hands thoroughly before taking a leak.

NO KIDDING! I use disposable surgical gloves for picking, washing, cutting, crushing. That oil is no joke. I never got it on Mr. Winkie before, but I did rub my eye after cutting some. It was swollen for almost 2 days.

 

[RandyHamilton]

First time I made my own hot sause I was VERY careful and washed my hands repeatedly. After I was done I took a shower and as soon as the water started washing down my forehead I had jalapeno and habereno oil in my EYES!!! Not good,, Not good at all!! Think Chemical burns. .



I do make a killer hot sause though. . Heat AND flavor!!!

 

[rbattelle]

I do what gonehuntingagain does - buy the sprouts at the local garden center. Last year I tried "Chef Jeff's" World's Hottest Peppers. HOLY COW, they were AWESOME!



Before I learned not to touch my eyes after handling them I managed to RUIN a pair of contact lenses! Yikes. Don't pick your nose after handling them, either (unless you have a cold and need your sinuses cleared really fast).



I didn't know about the "stop watering them" trick... I'll try that this year. Last years peppers were PAINFULLY hot. I love it.



Did you guys know hot peppers are good for the prostate? ?



-Ryan

 

[fkovalski]

... Did you guys know hot peppers are good for the prostate? ?



-Ryan

Yea, butt peppers are not intended to be a suppository. :-laf

 

[GFritsch]

Yea, butt peppers are not intended to be a suppository. :-laf

:-laf :-laf

 

[evldsl]

Just ordered a bunch of hot pepper seeds - do any of you guys that grow these things have any tips for me? Everything I've seen makes it sound pretty easy - start 'em in a paper towel, transplant 'em when they sprout, and get 'em light when they leaf. Is that all there is to it?



Chris

:-laf TIP-Do not rub your eyes after touching a pepper, wash your hands first.

 

[evldsl]

:-laf TIP-Do not rub your eyes after touching a pepper, wash your hands first.

If you wait untill they are real dry or red they are at their best in heat.

 

[RandyHamilton]

If you grow jalapenos, wait until they turn red before you pick them. Once they turn red you can bite into them and the first thing you will taste is sweet. If you do that while they are still green (like you would get them if you ordered nachos) you will taste bitter. Both the sweet and the bitter taste comes right before the hot! But the Jalapenos aren't that hot. I don't ever recommend biting into a Habanero!!



The other thing is, if you eat enough of them, be prepared to dip your a** in the toilet water the next morning cause they will be as hot going out as they were coming in!!

 

[loncray]

Randy brings up a good point - a hot sauce that's just hot without flavor is pointless. If you're setting your tongue on fire without actually tasting anything, your sauce is no good.

 

[gonehuntingagain]

The other thing is, if you eat enough of them, be prepared to dip your a** in the toilet water the next morning cause they will be as hot going out as they were coming in!!

I prefer to wipe with a snow cone! :-laf

 

[fkovalski]

... . if you eat enough of them, ... the next morning ... . they will be as hot going out as they were coming in!!

Yep... make sure to break out the asbestos underwear!

 

[GO 4LO]

Thanks for the advice, guys - any recommendations on hot peppers with good flavor? I've heard chocolate habaneros are good. I've also ordered some red savina habaneros and serranos. Any other good ones?



Chris

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Don't plant different peppers right next to one another. They'll become a hybrid and you'll have a bunch of the same peppers.