Jalapeño Peppers

Jalapeño Peppers  are pretty easy to grow and make a great addiction to any meal. 

This year we grew ours in a half of barrel, last year it was in a city pickers pot.

(this year is to the left, last year is to the right)

We grew it along with 3 other pepper plants this year witch I know is a big no no for some people, but we had no problem and they all looked beautiful together.  I used the plant stand just so it would not lean over as people who came to my door are not careful and would hit it.  

Things to remember when planting Jalapeño Peppers~
~Keep watered, especially when it is hot out. Do not wet the peppers though and do not over water.
~Keep in well drained soil with full sun
 ~Check daily for pest. Worms and caterpillars are common and can be easily picked off.(We had this problem when they just started growing but not anymore, thankfully)
~You can start seeds inside and transfer them outside when they are around 11 weeks.(Just rememebr to keep them in a sunny spot)
~A full grown plant can grow up to 3 feet
~You should space them at least a foot apart. I noticed sense we did not this year it did not grow as big as it could have, but still gave plenty of peppers!
~Give plant food, and keep weeded.
~Jalapeño Peppers can be grown in planters but might need a bigger one has it grows.
~They are named after a town in Mexico and are the most popular chile pepper in US.

When picking Jalapeño Peppers try to pick before they start changing colors. I like to pick mine and let them sit in a window. This year we got some red ones! You can also freeze them. Every year we always end up with tons. We donate a lot and freeze a lot. The hotness of the peppers vary form plant to plant and threw out the different color stages.

The color of Jalapeño Peppers goes from bright green(this is when you should pick them) to dark green then black and finally red. A Jalapeño Pepper can grow anywhere from 2 inches to 3.5 when full grown. A mistake I always make when cutting these peppers is not wearing gloves! Really you should. Even after washing my hands multiple times I still have the juice form the peppers still on them and I countless numbers of times rub my face after and burn myself. lol