Reseeding the Sweet 16: March Madness...
We saw this headline on Google News and it took us a double take to realize it wasn't about gardening... not about basketball. haha!! But to honor the thought, here are our Sweet 16 Peppers to start in March:
Our Top Picks for the end of March:
These pepper seeds are our picks to plant 6-8 weeks before transplanting outdoors after all chance of frost has passed. Some people start their seeds even earlier, sowing seeds indoors in January, February and March. April is also a great month to sow pepper seeds. It depends on how much space you have to grow them, and when you can plant outdoors. Peppers are long lived plants so you can start them anytime, really – many people grow them indoors to keep them growing year-round. But you need to make sure they have a good amount of root space so they don't get root bound before you can get them transplanted into the ground or outdoor containers.
Find more of our top tips for growing peppers from seed »
Find more of our top tips for growing peppers from seed »
SEEDING THE TOP 16 PEPPERS:
1. Jalapeno Pumpkin Spice
We grew the Orange Spice Jalapeno last year, which is very hot orange jalapeno with up to 80,000 Scovilles, where this new Pumpkin Spice Jalapeno is still hot but only gets to about 25,000 Scovilles. Both of peppers are much hotter than our long-time favorite, early jalapenos, which are around 5000-15,000 Scovilles, so these orange hot peppers are great for spice-lovers. Jalapenos are some of the earliest hot peppers to come to harvest, and we all know we want peppers as fast as we can get them.
2. Jalapeno Jaloro
A golden jewel of a jalapeno! This is the first jalapeño developed that is golden yellow. Oro means gold in Spanish, hence the name. Created by the Texas Agriculture Extension Service in 1992. Most significant, perhaps, is the fact that it is disease resistant to 6 types of viruses that often affect peppers. These are also more standard-heat jalapenos with 5,000 Scovilles of heat. We can't grow enough jalapenos, their classic robust flavor just can't be missed every summer.
3. Early Jalapenos
These classic early producing jalapeno plants grow nice pods that range in heat from 5000-15,000 Scovilles.
4. Hot Portugal Pepper
Hot and early, Hot Portugal chile peppers have a subtle, sweet flavor mixed with a moderate to hot level of spice that lingers on the palate. They come to harvest in just 65-75 days.
5. Hatch Green X Hot - Barker's Hot Chile
Grow this hot Hatch Chile for its traditional New Mexico flavor and great heat. Roasted pods are perfect for green enchilada sauce. And they come to harvest in just about 75 days so they're great for short seasons, too.
6. Sandia Select NuMex Green Chile Seeds
This new Sandia variety has superior flavor, uniform high heat level, better plant and pod uniformity, higher yield and a thick fruit wall.
7. Mild Hatch Green Mild - NM 6-4
Hatch Green Mild - NM 6-4 has always been the standard for open-pollinated mild green chile. It is such a wonderful variety that it remains very similar to its improved cousin NuMex Heritage 6-4. Pods are 6" long with thick fleshy walls and grow on 30” plants.
8. Sweet Chocolate Bell Pepper
This is our earliest pepper to harvest, with the first peppers ripening at around 57 days! A classic for salads, stir fries and more.
9. Coral Orange Bell Pepper
This pepper produces a big harvest of glossy orange, juicy bells with rich, sweet flavor. Orange Coral Bell peppers are easy to grow and will add bright pizazz to your kabobs, salads, or fajitas! Early, too, harvesting in 75 days.
10. Mini Bell Pepper
These small colorful snack size peppers are sweet, crunchy, and full of flavor. It is fun to watch them grow and turn from green to their intended color of red, yellow, or orange.
11. Hatch Green Medium - Big Jim
Authentic green chile flavor and medium heat! This heirloom variety has been grown in the Hatch Valley of southwest New Mexico for over a century. Harvests after 75 days!
12. Santaka Heirloom Japanese Pepper
New to our lineup this year, the Santaka is a HOT Japanese pepper with an intense, simple, heat. They do not have a complex flavor profile so their pure simple heat is more direct and easily balanced with other bold spices.
13. Shishito Japanese Sweet Pepper
Another pepper from Japan, this sweet Shishito - This delicious & savory sweet pepper has great flavor and is easy to prepare! The pods of this early season sweet pepper just keep on coming, perfect for any pepper gardener!
14. Hatch Green Mild - Guizeppi
The perfect choice for people who love the green chile flavor but don't care for the heat. The mildest Hatch chile you can grow, but it still packs a ton of flavor.
15. Sweet Red Cherry Pepper
Great for pickling, these 1-1/2” round peppers are bright red with sweet thick flesh and a tangy flavor when ripe.16. Chimayo Pepper
This heirloom chile has been grown for generations in the Chimayo Valley of northern New Mexico. This native strain has fantastic red chile flavor. At first it tastes sweet and then medium hot. Its great flavor is the result of hand selection over hundreds of years. The Chimayo red chile sauce is easy to make and delicious on enchiladas and burritos. Don't miss this 16th pick for our March Madness lineup!Happy growing!
