Yakima County Master Gardeners: The incredible chili pepper

Chili peppers have been cultivated by the Indigenous populations of Central and South America for thousands of years. Today, chili peppers are wildly popular and are grown in home gardens throughout the world. They are an incredibly versatile fruit; delicious when fresh, pickled, dried, grilled or sautéed.

Chili powders, especially from the serrano variety, are tasty additions to recipes. Ornamental chili peppers add color and texture to flower beds, wreaths and bouquets. When European explorers accidently bumped into the New World, they were offered a spicy fruit from the Indigenous populations.



The Europeans decided that this fruit had the same “burn” or “heat” that they had experienced when tasting black pepper. As a result, they named this newly “discovered” fruit a ‘pepper’ and confusion over what should be called a pepper continues today. Chili pepper and black pepper come from different plant families and have very little in common.

Chili peppers grow best in warm climates, and black pepper requires humid tropical climates. The distinctive taste of chili peppers comes from the chemical capsaicin while black pepper gets its taste from piperine. Sweet or Hot Chili Peppers Gardeners can select among five domesticated species of chili peppers and thousands of varieties.

Deciding which variety is best for you is not an easy task. Fortunately, the seed companies have come to our rescue and have simplified the selection process by grouping chili peppers into ‘sweet’ or ‘hot.’ This grouping is based on the degree of heat or spiciness found within a chili pepper.

This heat level is reported as Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Sweet chili peppers have the lowest SHU, ranging from zero to 100. These peppers are normally bell shape, thick-walled fruits and have a sweet or fruity flavor.

Examples include: Cornito Rosso, Etiuda, King of the North and Mini-Yellow Bell. Hot chili peppers have a very wide heat range. The mild varieties are only slightly hotter than sweet chili peppers.

It is helpful to think of hot chili peppers as mild, medium, hot and extreme. • Mild: SHU between 100 and 2,500. Examples: Poblano, Shishito, Sheepnose Pimento and Sweet Banana.

• Medium: SHU between 2,500 and 30,000 SHU. Examples: Jalapeno-Emerald Fire, Big Jim Nu-Mex, and Fresno. • Hot: SHU between 30,000 and 100,000.

Examples: Serrano Tamiquno, Cayenne, Chinese 5 color, Thai Red, and Habanero. • Extreme: SHU between 100,000 and 2.5 million.

Examples: Ghost and Carolina Reaper. We’ve made it easier for you! Each of the varieties mentioned above, except the extremes, will be available at the Master Gardeners plant sale on May 2-3 from 8 a.m.

-4 p.m. in the greenhouses at 1522 S.

18th Ave. Growing Peppers Chili peppers perform best within a 30-degree temperature range. Peppers are a warm season fruiting crop and will not thrive when temperatures are below 60 °F.

Very little fruit set occurs above 90 °F. Weather is beyond our control and the ideal conditions may not occur during a growing season. Unfortunately, climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of temperature extremes.

A late frost will damage your peppers. High temperatures will disrupt the timing and size of the harvest. In such cases, yields may be reduced but the plants are resilient, and they will continue growing until conditions are right to resume fruit set.

In the Yakima Valley, it is best to start peppers indoors and transplant them outside after the threat of frost has passed. Plant them a bit deeper than the root ball to encourage additional root growth and stronger plants. Peppers perform best in well-drained, fertile soils with a pH of 6.

5. They require consistent watering and a balanced fertilizer but be careful to not apply too much nitrogen. When the soil is warm (75 °F), apply mulch to keep the roots cool and retain moisture.

Growing conditions will impact the heat level of a pepper variety and even individual fruits on a single plant. For example, a fruit will be hotter if it develops when the plant is under stress from either too much or too little water. The capsaicin in chili peppers is a natural repellent that evolved as a defense mechanism against hungry insects, herbivores and fungi.

Only by accident did humans discover that it makes an enjoyable addition to our spice cabinets. Capsaicin is present at some level in every part of the pepper, but its highest concentration is in the tissues near the seeds, but not in the seeds. Try New Varieties With so many varieties of chili peppers available, it only seems reasonable to try as many varieties as possible to find the one that best matches your taste and gardening skills.

If one of these experiments doesn’t go well, and you taste one that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, remember there is no serious physical damage occurring. The capsaicin is just tricking the body into thinking it is experiencing a burn. Even so, it may be a good idea to keep a glass of milk nearby to help ease any discomfort.

Are you still a bit hesitant to grow chili peppers? Consider that in some cultures, chili peppers are seen as lucky charms, believed to ward off evil spirits and negative energy. I doubt there are many of us that wouldn’t appreciate the possibility of a bit more gardening luck. Still got questions? You can email the Master Gardeners at askamastergardener@yakimamg.

org . • For any gardening questions, contact the Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1604 or email [email protected] .

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