Anyone growing "Hatch" style chilies in northern states

[JWFilips]

Just checking if anyone in northern states are growing "Hatch" style chillies ?
I have been growing and starting seeds for most of my life and I am having a heck of a time germinating "Big Jim" and a few other Anaheim style peppers this year. I grow chillies from all over the world but never seen such a low rate of germination on these types! Is this normal
Jim

[farmerjim]

I always have trouble germinating Big Jim. I start all my pepper seed in 200 cell trays in a germination chamber. I had 20 Big Jim in one tray with 180 other pepper seed and only got 6 of the 20 to germinate. All the other pepper seed had at least 80% germination. They are great roasted on the grill.

[Hickory]

Sometimes I get a batch of seeds that do not germinate well, and the following year I get the same seeds from a different supplier and they do good.
However, there are a lot of pepper seed I have not experimented with but I can say that some of the ones from Cuba, Central America need a warm bed to germinate in.

[JWFilips]

I do have them in Containers with wet matte media and on Heat mats. Like I said I have grown chillies from all over the globe but these Hatch types are driving me nuts: I'm from NEPA and about this time if they are not pushing themselves out of the 6 packs I think I am too late! I may get 100 days max growing up here!

[nagantguy]

If your already using heat mats ; which helped me a lot try soaking the seeds in hot water for an hour or so before you put them in dirt; also watering with hot water was a big help trying to get some hot chilies to sprout a few years ago I got from NM, also seems your handy at this and no insult is meant in any of this advice but some peppers seem to germinate better in a sandy mix soil.

[ShooterAZ]

I'm not in a "northern" state, but I am at 7000' elevation which brings similar challenges. Thankfully, our local nursery sells Big Jim seedlings so that's the way I do it. We can't plant here until at least mid-May because of late frosts, so seedlings is the way to go for me. We also have a very short growing season due to our elevation. They do grow well here once it warms up. Last night was 19 degrees...still have to wait.

[Jedman]

I am in NW Ohio and try to grow many types of peppers every year. The Big Jim and others of that family have never done well for me. I have rich black sand that has had compost added yearly for 20+ years and when the weather is right the garden is great.
Some years we have many cool nights and the peppers and tomatoes don't like it.

Jedman

[farmerjim]

For all of you that are growing warm season crops in short season locations, There is a easy way to add 30 days to your season. I do it down here with low tunnels. You make long "A" frame tents over your young plants with a spun polypropylene cloth. There are different grades, but I use AG30. It gives me up to 6 deg of frost protection and extra heat on sunny days. It is not expensive. I have tomatoes 2 to 3 weeks before any of my competitors.

[David2011]

Going through the Master Gardeners program in New Mexico we were told that scarifying the seeds would help jumpstart them. Just roll them between two pieces of 100-120 grit sandpaper until the hard outer shell shows some scratches. Don’t get too carried away, just some scratches breaking into the next layer. Soaking and warm beds are good too.

Try to stick with New Mexico varieties. Anaheims are NM peppers that culturally appropriated from NM and adapted to grow where it never freezes. They’re not freeze resistant but the SoCal soil is never as cold as your PA soil.

[Texas by God]

Do any of the northern grown peppers have any heat to them?

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[JWFilips]

Oh yes you can get hot ones For years I use to grow hot thai chillies ( Seeds from a friend in Thailand) and I started selling a Nice bottle of hot sauce made from them. I'm in northeastern PA ( Short season but was very successful..I start my plants indoor under light in late February Was marketed as "Jammie MacPhillips.... Kilt lift'n Hot Thai Sauce"

Now I settle for Hand Lacto Fermented sauces from more exotic tasting & flavorful ( not particularly Hot Chillies) Like Aleppo, Urfa Bieber , etc. Every year I try at least 3 new varieties from all over the world.
A great resource ( especially for you extra hot lovers is "Refining Fire Chillies" http://store.myorganicseeds.com/Default.aspx

[JWFilips]

I have read much great things here about the "Hatch" peppers So I decided to test these this year...but not having much luck germinating. My wife has found a source of Hatch Pepper cheese in our local supermarkets and I fell in love with the taste!

[JWFilips]

Just for a laugh I had an old empty bottle with label I thought you guys would enjoy
( I 'm sure I may get warning from the mods!) Most of my sales were to local Specialty Restaurants & Private individuals
On Line sales required a lot of red tape so It was not wort the hassle. Now my fermented sauces are just given as Christmas Presents
239117
239118

[JWFilips]

If anyone would like a quick Primer on lacto-fermenting hot chillies let me know :
This is how Frank's Red Hot and Tabasco are made It gives the sauce a very unique taste.
I would imagine one could also do it with the "reaper" and other super hots!

[Wag]

If you need it, I can send you some NM soil (sand) and see if that help.......... :-)

--Wag--

[Texas by God]

I prefer jalapenos but diced Hatch chilies on a cheeseburger is pretty dang good.

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[jonp]

Have you tried soaking them in Chamomile Tea for 24-48hrs to kill the bacteria first them germinating them between wet paper towels in zip lock bags on a heat pad and when they sprout then planting them?

[BD]

I grow scotch bonnets and jalapeños in northern Maine. However, I have to start them in the house and grow them all season in the greenhouse to get any real yield. I've been growing them in 5 gallon pails to make them easy to move into the greenhouse.

[OldBearHair]

A manager at Hutchinson Fruit Co. in Albuquerque N.M. told me yaears ago that he thought the best chilies came from Veguita , south 45 miles just North of the NM Boys Ranch where we resided 29 years. The land there is very alkaline. Our shallow irrigation well water was PH 13.. I am no expert at hardly anything so I buy some dried NM red chilies and use the seeds. Then almost like Jonp says, I fold paper towel and slide in ziplock bag put a few seeds in scattered, moistened w/water, then turn the bag over so the sprouts grow downward and not into the paper towel. As it was mentioned, the germination is low, so use more bags.
Sure miss the smells of chilies roasting in big burners about 20"x 4' long, shape and size of a 30gallon barrel made from expanded metal. They could do a toesack (gunny sac, croaker sack, etc) full at a time. When the skin of the chili was parched just right they would put the chili in a big plastic bag and back in the toesack to steam. Take em home and peel as soon as possible and when cool , bagged and in the freezer. The parched flavor is what I miss. Do the same thing on a bbq grill and keep them turned until you see the black blisters forming and finish as above.The Big Jim's are $1.89 lb here in the HEB store.

[JWFilips]

Don't Think NM soil will help Germinating:-P Now if it it extends my short season...Well Maybe!:-(
Ok To date at April 4th in NEPA I have 3 big Jim and 4 Poblano getting their seed leaves! Aleppo's and Urfa Biebers & Haipenios have true leaves! All of this since the 15th March Not sure I will have the days for the big jim and Poblanos

[JWFilips]

My Germination procedure exactly ( I use distilled water) 75 to 80 Deg bottom heat

[JWFilips]

I do the same with Urfa Bieber and Piment de Epaulet chillies ;
I lay them in the wood charcoal grill and roast with a few different smoking woods! I take them off and let them steam
I will freeze much of them for winter use is stews and such!
Give a nice spice and smokey flavor

[JWFilips]

FWIW: I had a College Botanist explain to me the difference between the Green and Red Stages of Chili peppers
The Green stage is water base Water soluble....Where as the Red Stage is Fat or Oil base ..Oil soluble
May help those chaps that try those super hot chillies on how to extinguish them!