Growing Jalapenos At Home

Jalapeno peppers are a popular vegetable. They are hot and spicy. Jalapenos have a Scoville rating of 2,500-8,000 units, while a bell pepper has a rating of zero and a Bhut Jolokia pepper from Asia hits 1,001,304 Scoville Units. Growing your own jalapeno peppers is easy.

Popular Jalapeno Varieties

There are several varieties of jalapeno. Which one you plant will depend on your climate and how hot you like your peppers. Hot, dry conditions will produce hotter peppers than warm, moist conditions.

Jalapeno

The original open-pollinated jalapeno is very hard to find now. It is available from seed suppliers that carry heirloom seeds, such as Renee’s Garden.

TAM Jalapeno

The TAM jalapeno was developed by Texas A&M as a less spicy jalapeno that tasted good. It has a Scoville rating of 3,500. TAM jalapenos take 70 days to harvest. They turn a deep dark green and get shiny when ripe.

Senorita

This pepper is one of the hottest jalapenos, with a Scoville rating of 5,000. It has green peppers that turn to red if left on the vine. It takes eighty days from seed to harvest.

 Mucho Nacho

This is a large jalapeno, growing to 4 inches long. It takes 75 days from seed to transplant and turns red when ripe. It is also a very hot jalapeno, with a Scoville rating of 4,000-8,000.

Seeds or Transplants

Most people buy a few jalapeno plants and plant them. It only takes a few plants to feed a family. If you want to get unusual or rare jalapeno varieties, you will probably have to order the seed from a specialty store such as Totally Tomatoes or Tomato Growers Supply Company. Start the seeds eight weeks before you want to plant them outside. Remember to harden off your plants before moving them from the inside to the garden.

Planting Your Peppers

Jalapeno peppers should be planted after all danger of frost is passed. Set the transplants 12-18 inches apart. More space will help air circulation and usually results in more peppers. Do not plant where related crops such as tomatoes, other peppers, and potatoes have been grown within the last year. Jalapeno peppers will cross-pollinate with sweet peppers and make them hot. Do not plant them close together.

Growing Conditions

Jalapenos, like all plants, prefer certain conditions to grow in.

Soil

Soil should be well-drained and rich with organic matter. You can accomplish both of these by adding compost to the soil. Do not use uncomposted manures, as they may carry diseases that then get on your peppers.

Sunlight

Jalapeno peppers need six hours of direct sun a day. If you live in a hot climate, such as the southern United States, some afternoon shade is preferred.

Water

Peppers need to be watered in on planting. They need water every day the first week so they can get established, then need an inch of water a week. If it is very hot, you may have to water twice a week. Water deeply by watering once or twice a week instead of frequent smaller waterings.

Fertilizer

Fertilize before you plant your peppers. A soil test will tell you exactly what you need to use to fertilize your peppers. In the absence of one, use a tomato fertilizer and follow the directions on the package. When the plant sets fruit, fertilize again. Fertilize every four weeks until the season is done. If you put too much nitrogen down as fertilizer, the pepper plant will grow lush and full, but will not have many peppers.

Controlling Weeds

You must control the weeds around your peppers. The weeds rob the pepper plants of water, nutrients, and oxygen. They also will shade the pepper, causing it to do poorly or even die. Pepper plants have roots close to the surface, so be careful not to damage the roots when you pull the weeds out.

Mulch

Mulch helps keep weeds from growing. It also keeps the soil temperature cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Mulch holds moisture, which it slowly releases as the soil dries out. Finally, mulch protects the plant from getting soil on the plant leaves. Many diseases hide in the soil and spread when the soil is splashed on the leaves. Place a layer of mulch three inches deep around the plant, but leave a little space between the plant and the mulch.

Harvest

Do yourself a big favor and wear plastic gloves anytime you handle jalapeno peppers. The oil of the pepper contains capsaicin, which gets on your hands when you handle the pepper. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in pepper spray. If you touch your eyes after handling peppers barehanded, they will really hurt. Wear plastic gloves, not garden gloves. Garden gloves soak up the oil and you can get it on your skin from them. After your finish handling the peppers put the plastic gloves in the trash or under the sink and wash your hands well.

TAM jalapenos will turn a deep, shiny green when ripe. Some jalapenos will turn red or orange when ripe.

Storage

Store jalapenos in a paper or plastic bag because they will rub hot pepper oil on whatever they touch. Store them in the crisper where they will keep for three to five days. You can freeze them or pickle them for longer storage.