Re: [CH] World's Hottest Pepper
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Tue, 14 Sep 1999 16:09:10 -0700
> I've read on several seed sites such as Redwood City
> http://www.batnet.com/rwc-seed/Habanero.scotch.bonnet.html
> that the bird peppers are the hottest.
I like Redwood City Seed Company and I've grown his seeds sometimes. But
we've discussed this issue at length in the past on chile-heads and this
claim has some Fine Print not typically noticed. In summation:
Tepins are very hot chiles, but the fact is that habaneros and other such
C. chinense cultivars are considerably hotter (per unit weight of whole
chile, fresh or dried) than any other types (that is commercially available
or we know of on this list, anyway) including tepins. So don't grow tepins
just to get the hottest chile. Grow red savina for that. You should grow
tepins, but not for that reason. Tepins have many virtues.
> Does anyone grow Tepins?
Yes, many people.
> How big do the plants get and could I grow them inside?
'tepin' is a general term covering a lot of selections, hence considerable
variation is possible, and anyway all chile plants vary in size depending
on cultural conditions... But, anyway, tepins are sort of a mid-sized
plant typically 3-4 feet tall -- i.e., typically a foot or two taller than
most C. chinense varieties, and a foot or two shorter than most C. baccatum
varieties. But being more cold-hardy than most chiles, they tend to live
several years, growing larger each year.
Like all chiles, you can grow them indoors if pot is big enough and they
get enough light. A 5-gal. pot will be ok for a year or two. But a bigger
pot affords conditions more amenable to larger harvests (e.g., a 7- or
10-gal. pot is great).
--- Brent