Cayenne Hot Pepper

I started with a 12" plant, Cayenne Hot Pepper grown locally from Iwasaki Bros. Cayenne Peppers are long, slender, very hot peppers that start out dark green and ripen to bright red. They are very strong, upright plants that love hot weather. Cayenne Peppers can be used for canning, drying, chili, salsa, pickling or eaten fresh. I planted my Cayenne Pepper in a large plastic container in full sun. (right) Some of my garden harvest from September 2008 including Jalapenos, Cayenne Peppers and Tomatoes.

Growing Tips: Cayenne Peppers prefer full sun and water regularly, especially in hot, dry summer months. Plant 18" - 24" apart in rows 24" - 36" apart.

Harvesting: Cayenne Peppers mature in 70 -75 days, harvest when fruit is bright red by clipping them off the plant, do not pull off.

Golden Bell Pepper : Organic

I started with a 6" starter plant, USDA Organic Golden Bell Pepper (Chile Campana Dorada) locally grown from Smith Gardens. Golden Bell Peppers are more sweet than spicy and have a beautiful golden yellow skin and flesh. I planted my Golden Bell Pepper directly into a large, deep plastic container in full sun. (right) My Bell Pepper is just starting to produce fruit about 1/2" - 1" in size.

Growing Tips: Bell Peppers prefer full sun and water regularly, especially in the hot, dry summer months (lack of water will give peppers a bitter taste). Bell Peppers grow 18" - 24" tall. Space plants 18" apart in rows 24" - 36" apart. Bell Peppers have very deep roots and require large, deep pots if grown in containers. Fertilize monthly.

Harvesting: Golden Bell Peppers mature in 75 days, harvest when fruit is golden yellow and firm.

Organic Jalapeno Pepper

I started with a 6" starter plant, USDA Organic Jalapeno Pepper locally grown from Smith Gardens. I planted my Jalapeno Pepper in a large plastic container in full sun next to all my other pepper plants. (right) My Jalapeno Plant from last year (2008). I grew it directly in my garden bed and it grew great, I had more fruit than I knew what to do with from the single plant.

Growing Tips: Jalapenos prefer full sun and lots of water. Space the plants 24" apart with about 2 - 3 feet between rows. Plants grow to about 3 feet tall. You can also mix in mushroom compost to make the soil fertile and moist. Fertilize monthly.

Harvesting: Jalapenos mature in 120 days. Pick when fruit is dark green and full size.

Pequin Pepper

I started with a 3' plant, Pequin Pepper from Al's Garden Center. Pequin Peppers are bright red (but can be picked when they are still green) and about 8 times hotter than a Jalapeno Pepper. They tend to look like outdoor christmas lights when they are ripe due to their size and color. I planted my Pequin Pepper into a large plastic container in full sun next to all my other pepper plants in the garden. (right) My Pequin Pepper plant right after transplant on June 25, 2009. (bottom right) My first Pequin Pepper that is ripening on August 21, 2009.

Growing Tips: Pequin Peppers grow naturally in the wild in Texas and prefer full sun and hot weather.

Harvesting: Pequin Peppers can be harvested when the peppers are bright red or still green. Harvested peppers can be stored in freezer bags in the freezer for 6 - 12 months without loosing much of their heat or flavor.

Red + Green Bell Pepper

I started with four 6" starter plants. Two Red Bell Peppers and two Green Bell Peppers from Al's Garden Center. A sweet Green Bell Pepper is a pepper that is not yet ripe. Let it continue to grow and it will turn red and the texture and flavor will change. I originally planted them in large terra-cotta pots that they quickly outgrew. I have transplanted them to oversized, deep containers. Unfortunately, one of the peppers was root bound and did not transplant as well as the others but I am going to see if it snaps out of it. (right) My Green Bell Pepper after transplant from the terra-cotta pot on June 13th, 2009.

• Day 1 (05.25.09): Planted starter plants in terra-cotta pots.
• Day 17 (06.10.09): Transplanted into a large, deep container.
• Day 22 (06.15.09): Plants are starting to show tiny fruit.
• Day 40 (07.03.09): Fruit is about 1/2" - 1" in size (see right top).
• Day 79 (08.21.09): Fruit is full size and starting to ripen and turn a bright shade of red (see right bottom).

Growing Tips: Sweet Bell Peppers prefer full sun and water regularly, especially in the hot, dry summer months (lack of water will give peppers a bitter taste). Bell Peppers grow 18" - 24" tall. Space plants 18" apart in rows 24" - 36" apart. Bell Peppers have very deep roots and require large, deep pots if grown in containers. Fertilize monthly. (right) My bell peppers on August 21, 2009.

Harvesting: When green bell peppers reach full size, pick and enjoy. When red bell peppers are completly red and mature, pick and enjoy.

Jalapeno Pepper

I started with a 6" starter plant, Jalapeno Pepper from Al's Garden Center. I originally planted it into a large terra-cotta pot that it quickly outgrew. I have transplanted in into an oversized deep container. (right) This is my Jalapeno plant from last year (2008). I grew it directly in my vegetable garden bed and it grew great. One plant had more peppers than I knew what to do with.

• Day 1 (05.25.09): Planted into a large terra-cotta pot.
• Day 17 (06.10.09): Plant is flowering and growing quite tall. Transplanted into a large, deep container.
• Day 20 (06.13.09): Plant is beginning to grow fruit.
• Day 30 (06.26.09): Plant is very yellow and growing unsuccessfully, recycled plant due to poor weather conditions that were not ideal for growing Jalapeno Peppers.

Growing Tips: Jalapenos prefer full sun and lots of water. Space the plants 18" - 36" apart with about 2 - 3 feet between rows. Plants grow to about 3 feet tall. You can also mix in mushroom compost to make the soil fertile and moist.

Harvesting: When the jalapenos reach full size, pick and enjoy.