Q: Dear Dave,I am 18 years old and have eaten hot food my entire life, thus my tolerance is quite high. Lately, however, I find myself eating very spicy foods and sauces, and suffering later for it, when it hurts the whole way down! It seems my digestive tract just isn’t as tolerant of the capsaicin as my mouth is. …
Light Cycle for Indoor Chiles
Q: Hi Dave!I’m going to grow chile peppers in containers indoors using artificial lighting. I was wondering what would be the best light cycle for the plants during their respective periods (vegetative, flower)?–Ronald A: Hello Ronald:Chiles benefit from the long days of summer, so use a cycle of 18 hours on, 6 hours off. Unlike some plants, chiles are not …
Seeds vs. Veins
Q: Dave,About six months ago I saw a T.V. program on chile peppers. One of the things that stood out was that the seeds were not the hottest part of the pepper. As well as I can remember, they said that the veins in the pepper were where all of the hot came from. Is this true?Thank you, Sam A: Hello …
Grubs in the Bed
Q: Dear Dave,I have a raised hot pepper garden with 40 different types of peppers. Lately I’ve been finding grubs in the bed—will this hurt the plants? If so, what can be used to get rid of them?Thanks, Gordon A: Gordon:Most of the time grubs are common cutworms that attack only pepper seedlings and chop them down at the base. If …
Searching for Rocotos in Chicago
Q: Dear Dave,Where can I get 1/2 bushel of fresh Rocoto (manzano) peppers? I live in suburban Chicago, IL.–Phil A: Hello Phil:Offhand, I would say that’s impossible. However, let your fingers do the walking and contact specialty produce distributors, especially those carrying Latin or Mexican produce. The best source would be from Mexico or Peru. They are not grown commercially …