Those who prefer their food on the spicy side will enjoy Dave DeWitt’s “Chile Lover’s Garden”. He offers plenty of tips on growing great peppers, and he highlights the diversity of chile peppers, including the superhots ‘Scorpion’, ‘Bhut Jolokia’, and ‘Fatalii’. Just keep a glass of milk handy in case you can’t take the heat!
Like many other gardeners — from the North to the South — Dave DeWitt, known as the Pope of Peppers, has become hooked on collecting and cultivating these ancient plants. Peppers originated more than 5,000 years ago in what is now known as Bolivia. According to Dave, there are about 25 species of Capsicum, but only five have been domesticated. Of those five species, there are thousands of cultivated varieties, but only around 20 varieties are significant to commercial growers. The good news for home gardeners is that they have free rein to experiment with the countless chile varieties that seed companies offer in varying degrees of flavor and heat.
Soil for chiles. To grow great peppers, Dave advises growing in raised beds that receive plenty of sunshine and decent, but not heavily amended, well-drained soil. He notes that too much nitrogen can reduce yield. His ideal soil medium is a combination of topsoil, aged compost, and unfertilized potting soil. Cold-climate gardeners can get a jump on the season by purchasing plants or starting seeds indoors or in a greenhouse. Once the pepper seedlings are set in the ground, he advises applying a mulch of shredded tree bark.
Packing on the heat. To spotlight the diversity of chile peppers, Dave has selected 24 different varieties, all of which are available through seed catalogs, as well as in transplant form through Dave’s website. Pepper enthusiasts will appreciate Dave’s superhot pepper bed, which includes some of the world’s hottest peppers. ‘Scorpion’ and ‘Bhut Jolokia’ are considered extremely hot, rated over 1,000,000 on the Scoville Scale (a measure of a chile pepper’s heat).
Cooking with chiles. Countless dishes around the world are enhanced by the scorching heat of chile peppers, including chili, salsa, and curries. Dave prefers serranos and habañeros in fresh salsas; New Mexican chiles in sauces with enchiladas, tamales, and carne adovada; and dried red chiles in curries. Just remember to wash your hands extremely well after handling chile peppers to avoid skin or eye irritation. Or wear rubber gloves.
With their assortment of colors, shapes, and sizes, it’s easy to see the beauty in the following peppers. However, it would be a mistake to confuse beautiful with sweet, as many of these fruits are smoke-coming-out-of-your-ears hot and should be approached with caution.
‘Bishop’s Crown’. The flattened, three-sided shape of the mild (heat level 6), almost sweet fruits of this pepper give rise to its name. The plants themselves are quite large, growing 3 to 4 feet tall and yielding dozens of green fruits that mature to red.
‘Ancho 101’. A mildly hot, heart-shaped pepper, it produces 3- to 4-inch-long fruits that are 2 to 3 inches wide. The green fruits age to red and are known as ancho when dry and poblano when fresh.
‘Angkor Sunrise’. Pretty pale peppers (heat level 5) are initially soft yellow but mature to red. The plants can grow up to 4 feet tall, producing a good yield of the 11/2-inch-long and 1/2-inch-wide fruits.
‘Lemon Drop’. The vinelike plant of ‘Lemon Drop’ will grow about 3 feet tall, producing sunny yellow, cone-shaped fruits (heat level 8 to 9) that grow around 2 to 3 inches long and have a pleasing citrusy flavor.
‘Aji Rojo’. The peppers (heat level 7) grow about 1 inch wide and 5 to 6 inches long. They are initially green but turn chocolate brown and eventually mature to orange-red.
‘NuMex Big Jim’. Considered to be the longest chile pepper in the world. The 2-foot plants yield peppers that typically grow to be around 9 inches long but have been known to exceed a foot in length! The cone-shaped fruits (heat level 7) mature green to red.
‘Tabasco’. Upright pods are held in profusion on 3-foot plants. The fruits (heat level 7) begin as soft yellow-green but eventually turn red.
‘Siling Labuyo’. Small, cone-shaped fruits (heat level 8) grow just 1 to 11/2 inches long and 1/4 to 3/4 inches wide. The green fruits turn red as they mature.
‘Rocoto Red’. Small, apple-shaped fruits (heat level 8) grow to be 11/2 inches long by 11/2 inches wide, starting green but aging to bright red.
‘Rocoto Yellow’. Similar in shape and size to ‘Rocoto Red’, this variety has yellow fruits (heat level 8).
‘Orange Habanero’. A really hot chile (heat level 10), its bright orange fruits grow 1 to 11/2 inches long.
‘Red Habanero’. The size and shape of these fruits (heat level 10) are similar to those of ‘Orange Habanero’, but the skin color is a bright cherry red.
‘Scotch Bonnet’. Named for its resemblance to the traditional Scottish hat called a tam, the ‘Scotch Bonnet’ pepper has an aroma and flavor often described as fruity or sweet. Yet don’t underestimate its heat, as it ranks high among the hot peppers (heat level 9 to 10).
‘Chiltepin’. A unique variety thought to be a wild form. Its tiny 1/4- to 3/4-inch fruits (heat level 10) are green, aging to red.
‘Scorpion’. The Scorpion is one of the world’s hottest peppers, measuring up to 1,400,000 on the Scoville rating (heat level 10+). The name comes from the shape of the fruits, which have a pointed end said to look like a scorpion’s stinger.
‘Bhut Jolokia’. An elongated-type habanero, this extremely hot pepper (heat level 10+) bears 2- to 3-inch-long fruits that mature to a bright red. Also called ‘Ghost Chile’, it boasts a Scoville rating over 1,000,000!
‘Chocolate Habanero’. Chocolate lovers be warned! The 2-inch-long fruits of this fiery habanero (heat level 10+) are named for the chocolate brown color of their mature pods, not for any sweetness in the flavor.
‘Fatalii’. This habanero-type pepper bears eye-catching, cone-shaped, bright yellow fruits that can grow to be over 3 inches long. ‘Fatalii’ fruits are considered among the hottest of the chiles (heat level 10+), so handle with care.
‘NuMex Centennial’. Sometimes referred to as just ‘Centennial’, this pepper was developed by New Mexico State University for its 100th anniversary. It has purple foliage, flowers, and (initially) purple fruits. As they mature, the small pods ripen from purple to yellow to orange and finally to red.
‘Black Prince’. This is an unusual ornamental with dark-colored foliage and purple-black pods that mature to red. It’s great for container gardens!
‘Chilly Chili’. This compact hybrid has dense growth and clusters of long-lasting, tapered fruits that emerge yellow but mature to red. It’s considered childproof, as it is non-pungent.
‘Orange Peter’. Considered a medium-hot pepper, this variety is often grown as an ornamental for its 3-inch-long, blunt-shaped peppers. The fruits ripen from green to orange.
Dave likes to group his peppers by species. If you like, follow the Pope of Peppers and arrange your pepper beds in these groups!