Anyone grow Ghost Peppers?

[Lowlander]

I have been wanting to try growing Ghost Peppers, but have been told they are very temperamental. Has anyone grown them?? and if so, what is your method that has worked for you??

I do not have a long grow season as I am mid-atlantic, so they will have to overwinter somehow inside, as well.

thanks

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I grow them and quite a few others in the same family. You have to start them inside 12-16 weeks before you can put them outside, and they won't tolerate evening temps below 50. I personally grow in a bark based mix in black grow bags or black nursery pots to try and keep them as warm as possible.

You can get decent production out of them as an annual this way. I dragged 60 dead plants out of my basement again this year, aphids got me again. I'm unlikely to try overwintering again unless I try by barerooting some. Of course that's now, come the fall I may change my mind again...

[roper2008]

I have grown them, but I may have a longer season than you. Like mark said, if you have
a short grow season, you have to start very early. Start them at least 3 months before your
last frost date.

[remy]

I grew them last year for the first time. I had them on the deck in pots, and they did very well, got lots of fruit that ripened long before the weather got cold. I didn't find them temperamental at all. I'm growing them again this year, and I'm also growing the Chocolate Ghost this year too. They do take awhile to get going so seed starting early is important, but other than that, very easy.
Remy

[sprtsguy76]

I grew Ghost last year with moderate success. But I have learned since then and have changed my approach and they look much better this year than last year. Ditto on what everybody said, start early and anything thing you can do to bring da heat is a good thing. I actually got quite a few new to me hotties from marktutt and one of them is Chocolate Ghost as well, I cant wait to try it.

Damon

[Lowlander]

Originally Posted by roper2008

I have grown them, but I may have a longer season than you. Like mark said, if you have
a short grow season, you have to start very early. Start them at least 3 months before your
last frost date.

I'm In Salisbury, so we have the same length grow season.

[WVTomatoMan]

I've grown them. They are a very long developing and slow growing plant. I too am in the mid-atlantic area, but further inland. I start mine 10 weeks before average last frost date. I plant out around May 15th and don't get ripe peppers until September. Other than starting them earlier than other pepper plants I don't treat them any differently.

Good luck.

Randy

[peppero]

i grew one plant last year from seed and it did take long time to get any size. not only that but i only got three peppers from it. i overwintered it but it has done nothing. i did get one from a nursery and the plant is developing well in a large planter. there are no blooms at this time. i do have a caribbean red i overwintered that is doing very well(loaded with peppers and they are very hot). jon

[biscgolf]

i'm on my fifth year growing them- about 350 plants this year. other than having a long season i don't find them any more difficult than other peppers. in general peppers are much more forgiving to grow than many other things, tomatoes in particular.

[tyz9581]

My husband and I picked up a plant on a whim at the farmer's market. It seems to be doing fine on our roof deck so far, but no flowers. We'll see. I'm thinking about putting it in a larger pot.

[gssgarden]

and the heat? Extremely hot??

Greg

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by gssgarden

and the heat? Extremely hot??

Greg

Extremely hot, mostly in the throat. Several of the Trinidad varieties I grew last year (and again this year) are even hotter, with better flavors IMO.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Originally Posted by biscgolf

i'm on my fifth year growing them- about 350 plants this year. other than having a long season i don't find them any more difficult than other peppers. in general peppers are much more forgiving to grow than many other things, tomatoes in particular.

If you've got the weather for them they're definately less trouble than tomatoes other than needing to start them so early. Other than birds picking holes in them occassionally they don't seem to have many pest problems.

This year I'm wishing I'd prepped some ground for mine, we're about 10 degrees above normal on average and have been extremely dry; it's only rained enough to measure once in the last month. One of the reasons I grow in containers is because our springs are normally so cool and wet they don't do well here, but this year it's like we're 500 miles south and I think they'd have done OK.

Next year it will probably snow in May again.

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by gssgarden

and the heat? Extremely hot??

Greg

Uh yeah you could say so. When I found out that they used it to repel elephants it confirmed to me that this is one hot pepper.

Randy

[huntoften]

I agree on the elephant repellent. Since I've been groing them I have not had any elephant problems!