[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