We are so excited to be coming to The Herb Society of America’s annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, and share our experiences of our combined 100 years of growing chile peppers! Our morning session is more about the many types of chiles, their characteristics, and pungency. Our afternoon program concentrates on chiles in the kitchen with a cooking demo. Looking forward to seeing y’all soon—here’s a little teaser of what we will talk about!

Good for You and Happy, Too!

Since we are confessed chile heads, we generally don’t share our first pickings of peppers.  However, once the Capsicum harvest gets into full swing, we give chiles to all the friends and family who indulge. Mind you, chiles grow on you. If you can’t handle hot, spicy foods, you should begin eating chiles in small amounts. Your tolerance level will build up quickly. Chiles are good for you. Not only are they high in vitamins A and C, they contain iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. Besides contributing to our health, they contribute to our happiness by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers that, in excess, produce euphoria. By mid-August, we are eating chiles three times a day and feeling very happy.

With an abundance of chiles, there are all sorts of foods to prepare. Fresh salsas are a given. Chiles are roasted for sauces and for stuffing. Susan roasts them by the grill-load and freezes them by the dozen in large freezer bags. The skins slip off easily when they are thawing or once thawed. We put up chiles in escabeche, jellies, salsa, and sauces and make herb and chile vinegars and liquors, and more recently ferment chiles for hot sauce.

We make all sorts of goodies and gifts with our precious pods. Homemade chili powder is remarkable compared to store-bought and is easy to prepare; gift it with your favorite recipe. Whole, dried chiles can be placed in a handsome jar and given to the aficionados on your list. We use the whole, dried chiles to decorate wreaths and swags and make little wreaths with the small chiles to use as ornaments or to place around the neck of a bottle of cheer or chile vinegar. The act of growing and harvesting homegrown food is a gift in itself. Preserving and sharing your garden bounty with your friends and family will warm their hearts, as well as nourish them.

A Few Basics on Cultivating Capsicums from North to South

Chile peppers like long, hot days and warm nights. They need warmth and light for germination and early growth, and they flower and set fruit best when days are 8 to 12 hours long and nighttime temperatures are 60˚ to 70˚F. Because they’re sun worshippers that like moist soil, planting out chiles can be a bit of a balancing act, especially in the northern regions of the United States and in Canada.

For some general rules of thumb, it is helpful to divide the country into three regions based on frost-free dates and USDA hardiness zones. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules, but this will give you an overall picture. Dates may vary due to weather conditions.

Growing Chiles in the North

The northern range encompasses Zones 3, 4, and 5. The dates for the last spring frost there have the longest range, from the beginning of May until the end of June. Select chile varieties that mature and fruit quickly, within 75 to 80 days.

Since the growing season is short, you need to ensure that your plants have maximum garden time so that they can mature before warm weather ends. Germinate seed indoors about 40 days before you want to transplant the chiles outdoors; they should be just about ready to flower when it is time to set them out. Alternatively, you can buy plants that are already well established.

About two weeks before planting, cover the beds with clear plastic mulch to warm the soil. Harden off the chiles for two weeks. If necessary, plants can be set out early and protected from frost overnight with plastic milk jugs or bottles; remove them each morning. However, it is better to wait until the garden soil is warm, not cold, so that the plants suffer less stress.

In climates with a short growing season, it is worth considering mulching your peppers with black plastic, black mesh, or heavy straw. These help retain moisture, keep down the weeds, and reflect heat onto the plant, giving it more heat and light. An additional benefit of black plastic and mesh is that they help warm the earth around the plant, unlike heavy straw.

If cool temperatures come early and all of your chiles have not yet matured, you can protect them at night. Before dusk, cover them with Reemay™, lightweight tarps, or even bed sheets. Remove the nighttime covers in the morning before the sun shines too hot and creates an oven beneath them.

Growing Chiles in the Mid-Range

The more central range covers Zones 6 and 7. You should have your chile plants ready to set out shortly after the last frost date—early April through mid-May. You can plant them at the same time as you set out basil and tomatoes, when the ground is warming up. If the weather is cold—especially if it’s wet and rainy—wait to transplant chiles; otherwise, you risk damping off.

In areas of the central U.S. where the soil needs help retaining heat and moisture, it is a good idea to mulch your chile plants. Toward the end of the season, if all of the fruits are not yet mature at harvest time, you may have to cover your plants to protect them from an early fall frost (see above).

Growing Chiles in the South

The southern range includes Zones 8, 9, and 10. This part of the United States is where chiles grow best. The last spring frost in this region occurs sometime during early February through the end of March. As the growing season is long, there is no need to rush the plants into the ground until after the soil has warmed up. Even the peppers that take longest to produce fruit have plenty of time to mature in this region. The most important thing to watch out for is summer stress during times of high temperature or drought. You needn’t be overly vigilant, though—chiles are pretty tough. Just be sure to water and fertilize transplants early on, so that they will be well established before the really hot weather arrives. And bear in mind that if night temperatures are above 86˚F, fruit set will not occur.

Saving Seed

To save chile seed for next year, remove the seed from raw, mature peppers, rinse, and place on paper towels or a small piece of screen. Dry them in the sun in a protected place. When thoroughly dry, pack them into plastic bags, envelopes, or small jars, and label them. Store them in a cool place away from light.