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Hot Bells & Mean Jalapenos

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Bonnie C. asked:   Anyone have any scientific reason for why bell peppers
would end up hot?

Yes, the same reason Jalapenos and Habeneros are hotter some years than
others--lack of water.  If a sweet pepper does not have a steady supply of
water, sugars don't develop and the capsicum (the stuff that makes any
pepper hot) develops.  There is a small amount of capsicum in every
pepper--it's normally masked by sugars in a bell.  Hot weather is a factor,
in that it deplete soil moisture faster.  The person who posted tips for
growing peppers emphasized mulch, and he is dead on with that
recommendation.  It does more to insure even soil moisture than anything
else.  Mulch, however, must be thick.  Six to 12 inches isn't too much.

On a related subject, if you want to grow really mean hot peppers (there are
those like my husband who love that stuff), be mean to the plants.  Don't
water them, situate them in hot, dry spots (near concrete and south-facing
walls for reflected heat) and don't feed them too much.  The soil should be
on the alkaline side and very lean in nutrients.
Doreen Howard
Zone 5b, where the Habeneros are meaner that heck this summer.


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