“If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?”  One peck is the correct answer, which is a quarter of a bushel or approximately 12 pounds and that would be perfect for a family of four to enjoy during the growing season. 

Peppers are one of my passions! Growing peppers in Texas is a must for all gardeners.  They are a staple in all Southern, Mexican and Cajun cooking.  How can we make nachos, beans, chili or gumbo without peppers?  So many options; stuff, pickle, garnish, salsa, relish, jam, jelly and more.

Peppers are easy to grow as long as we have warm weather and lots of sunshine.  There are many varieties from mild to HOT.  All peppers are in the Capsicum annum family.  You can start from seeds, but I prefer to use transplants.  Plant once the soil has warmed up and daytime temperatures are above 75 degrees and nights above 60 degrees.  Peppers have a long growing season in our climate and can produce till the first frost.

Plant a variety of different peppers, but plant multiples of your favorites.  Bell peppers are a favorite and Big Bertha is a proven variety and a Texas Superstar.  Living in Texas jalapeños are a must and if you like it HOT try Habanera, Cayenne or Serrano.  Plant some these varieties to cook with; Fresno, Anaheim, Hatch, Poblano, and Shishito. Some of the best peppers to pickle or can are jalapeño, banana, cherry and pepperoncini.   I plant mainly jalapeños along with other varieties. Our family favorite is Pepper Jelly and Jalapeno Stuffed Pork Loin.  Then at the end of the season I will freeze them for fall and winter recipes.

Lastly, we must talk about Ornamental Peppers.  There are so many beautiful varieties you can plant in the garden or better yet plant in a container so you can put on display for all your neighbors to enjoy.  Here are three Texas Superstar picks; “Basket of Fire Pepper”, “NuMex Twilight” and “Purple Flash”. 

For more information about all of our Texas Superstar plants go to the website. www.TexasSupertar.com

The Smith County Master Gardener program is a volunteer organization in connection with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Colleen Huntsberger

Master Gardener