[CH] Re: Cold/Heat tolerant Chiles

GarryMass@aol.com
Fri, 30 Apr 1999 09:31:15 EDT

In a message dated 4/29/99 5:03:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com writes:

> I believe 40 F. for most of the
>  night is cold enough to interfere with flowering, above 80 F. for several
>  hours a day is too hot, in between 40 and 80 is fine

This is my first year growing a variety of chiles, Jalapenos and Hungarian 
HotWax were the full scale in previous years.   'Til now, I thought Chipotles 
were grown in adobo sauce in cans.
My "all crop" experience here in Massachusetts has been alternate brawls with 
frost, overheat, and frost again in trying to stretch the season.
Fish emulsion has some wonderful property which makes everything in my raised 
bed gardens much more cold tolerant.  Unless a black frost catches me 
unaware, I swear by the stuff both early spring and late fall.  I use a 
double strength foliar and root feeding.
When frost threatens to overwhelm even the "fishies," I turn on the sprinkler 
and leave it on all night and the next day until the sun melts the ice off 
the plants.  It does look a little whacky to see tomato, tomatillo, and 
pepper plants take on the Dr. Zhivago frozen tundra appearance, but it works 
like a charm.
Conversely, when the summer days get too hot (prolonged 80+ degree temps and 
hot overnights) blossoming is continued by sprinkling at those times too.  
Evaporation is a cooling process and helps my plants through the "dog days" 
pretty effectively.
Gareth the ChileKnight.

If I sent you the Chili recipe with 30 mins of cooking time spelled out and 
no more, it's 75 to 90 minutes of cooking at a simmer after all ingredients 
are in the pot.
Sorry.
G