Good morning Dave: Can I grow chile peppers indoors? I have a large window in my kitchen that faces west and gets full afternoon sun. Thanks for all of the great articles! LOVE the magazine.A. Hello A.:Yes, you can but remember that they are susceptible to white fly, aphids and spider mites. Also, cats will nibble on the leaves.Dave
Trimming Habanero Flowers?
Dave,I have heard that keeping the blooms trimmed back on my habanero pepper plants will encourage the growth of more peppers. However, I can not find anything online that discusses whether this is a recommended course of action or not. Do you know if this is a helpful hint or a myth? Thanks,TinaHello Tina:That’s just plain wrong. You need every …
Emasculated Jalapenos
Dave:All my peppers are not hot! Even the jalapenos and Hungarian hot wax. Why??Paul Hello Paul:Jalapenos are notoriously mild because of the introduction of less pungent varieties into the gene pool because of nachos sold at ball games. Fifty percent of the pungency is genetic and 50 percent is environmental. You can make the pods hotter by stressing the plants. …
Isolating for Pure Seed
Hi Dave,Love your site. I’ve recently started planting chiles, about a hundred odd varieties in a greenhouse as I live in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and we get a lot of wind. I would like to keep the seed pure. How do I go about it? I’ve been told about cheesecloth tenting, how do you do that? I also read …
Liquid Paprika?
Dave,I create my own marinades for making beef jerky. I’ve been wanting to use paprika in the marinade but it just doesn’t mix well with the other liquids. Is there a liquid version of paprika, and if so, where can I find it? Thanks,LarryHello Larry:There is no such thing as liquid paprika, but you can make it mix better by …