Jalapeno

Capsicum annuum

The Jalapeno is a cultivar of the annual S. Capsicum annum that’s a staple of chili dishes, salsas, pico de gallo, and other southwestern or tex/mex dishes. It does well in containers, but as a C. annuum cultivar, has a risk of cross-pollinating other C. annuum plants, including sweet bell peppers. Yeah, talk about getting a surprise when you bite into one of those!

Since I’m growing other C. annum cultivars of varying spice levels and types, I’m planning to spread them around a bit. The jalapeno will probably go in the side yard, where the bell peppers and cherry tomatoes were last year. The more scars that appear on the outside of a jalapeno, the higher the scoville rating (heat/spice) will be.

Care

Jalapenos will grow well in just about any situation. They’re less prone to rot and wilt than bell peppers are, which is why they’ll probably go in the side garden — it doesn’t have as good of drainage or water retention as the main raised bed.

Plant in full sun; water every third day, or when the plant looks wilted. Jalapenos like water, but also like heat and sun.

My Notes

  • I’m growing these for the first time in 2009.
  • Seeds took a long time to germinate. I lost track exactly, but I know I planted on or around 23Jan and didn’t get seedlings until the 9th or so.