When do you start baccatum and chinense peppers?

[Tania]

I have lots of experience with C. annuum peppers, but not much with bacattum or chinense types. I grew a couple of chinense peppers, and they seem to grow so much slower compared to annuums, hence not making it to maturity in our climate most of the time.

My question is when do you normally start your chinense and baccatum peppers? How many weeks before annuums? And how long does it takes from transplant to full maturity in your area?

Is there a way to mature these peppers in PNW without overwintering them?

[Sunfreak]

I was very late this year. I started all peppers (C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense and C. pubescens) on mid-march. Based on this experience: C. baccatum was very similar to C. annuum, maybe slightly slower. Both produced a good crop. Except of thick walled C. annuum's (for example bell peppers) and thick walled C. baccatum's. They required more time. Problematic was C. chinense and C. pubescens. No ripe fruit for C. pubescens (very slow plant growth and no success on pollination) and very few fruits for C. chinense (also very slow plant and fruit growth).

I'm not sure when i start next year. Probably and hopefully earlier than the past season but not before the new year has begun. C. baccatum and thick walled C. annuum probably a few weeks earlier than other C. annuums. And C. chinense + C. pubescens a few months earlier than C. annuums. I don't know exactly for the moment.

- Michael

[roper2008]

Maybe Mark will know better, but I'm thinking beginning of
January for you. That's when I start mine because I want
peppers before August. I plant mine out May 1st. This is
referring to the chinense.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Mid January is when I usually try to start the chinense, I actually have had problems getting some baccatums (peppadew in particular) to ripen many outside starting them the same time, I was actually thinking of trying to start a few of those here in a couple of weeks.

[GunnarSK]

In 2010 I was unsuccessful with starting annuums in March, so next year I'll try February for these, and possibly January for non-annuums.

[bitterwort]

Last year I started the baccatums, chinense, and pubescens types February 25 and the annuums March 11. That seemed to work pretty well for most, especially since we had an early spring.

I've also had decent success wintering over a few of the very late ripeners in pots (many to a pot, sort of a Noah's ark effect) and also, surprisingly, bare root and dormant. For those, I prune both the roots and the tops heavily, remove most of the potting mix and put the roots in plastic bags fastened with a twist-tie to retain whatever moisture is in the mix and put them all in a paper bag in a dark, cold but non-freezing area for the winter. When the temporary greenhouse goes up late spring, I pot them up and see what has survived. Might be a strategy for you to try next year, Tania.

[hmacdona]

I always start my baccatums, chinense and pubescens the end of December or very beginning of January. I'm in zone 3a...so a very short growing season. Definitely slower to grow than the others.

[Tania]

Folks, thank you for sharing your experience, I appreciate it so much!

In 2012 I had 1 baccatum variety that I started at the same time as my annuums, they grew quite well - vigorous plants over 4' tall, but they were so slow to mature fruit... When we got our first hard freeze 2 weeks ago, the fruits were full size, but still green, and seeds inside were immature. They obviously needed either longer season or much warmer summer than we had.

So I am thinking about starting baccatums and chinenses earlier - actually, if I need to start them 4 weeks earlier than annuums, that would be between now and mid-December. So I am starting a couple of them now to see how it goes.

Our problem is that in the last few years our springs were too cold and too wet, and every year I had to delay setting plants out in the garden. The earliest I can plant peppers is mid-April, into cold frames. So I have to figure out how I grow them under lights for 4 months!

[noinwi]

Late to the party, but the couple of times I grew pubescens in Wisconsin(z3/4), I started them in December and still had to bring them in at the end of the season to finish harvesting the few pods left(I understand they're quite stingy the first year and generous in subsequent seasons but I could never overwinter mine to find out). I got a handful of ripe ones during late summer.
I started chinense and baccatums in March with my annuums and tomatoes. The baccatums produced plenty in time, but the chinense was late ripening except a few random pods that were a little earlier than the others.

[Fusion_power]

Tania, generalizations are not very reliable, but on average, Baccatum's need about 4 weeks longer to mature than Annuum's. My recommendation for your climate is to start seed early to mid January and pot up into 1 quart containers before you set them out in the garden. This will allow you to keep the plants growing rapidly up until the weather is settled.

Chinense plants are about the same for requirements.

Please be sure to start them in high quality seed start mix. If either baccatum or chinense plants are ever restricted for nutrients or space to grow in, they tend to be permanently stunted.

Another item I would suggest is to put them in direct sun on the south side of a wall if possible. The reflected heat seems to really benefit them in marginal climates.

Note that I am anticipating you will grow seedlings in a greenhouse, just in case someone else pops in and reads this.

DarJones

[Tania]

Thank you Darrell!

As we have very low light levels in winter and early spring (due to 100% overcast and rains), I will be growing seedlings under artificial lights until mid-March, and then I'd be taking them out into cold frames during a day when we get sunshine. I usually pot them up into 4" pots, but can do larger pots, especially if I am starting them earlier.

I usually have about 600 pepper seedlings, so I'll probably need an additional cold frame if they will be in larger pots... That's doable, I think! Will have to get 2 extra bales of Promix...

I agree, it is so important to get high quality mix, especially for peppers! I made this mistake in the past, and will never again! Bad mix stunts pepper plants so much by damaging roots, they have really hard time to recover. Especially when weather is not too warm, which is what we have here. Tomatoes are much more forgiving.

I think I can give peppers more space under lights by starting more tomatoes by a couple of weeks later.

I am so looking forward to growing my baccatums successfully next year! They look beautiful, and I have not had a chance to taste them yet. I loved my Trinidad Yellow (chinense), but I want it to mature more fruits and have good quality seeds.

So folks, please wish me luck! Thank you for the advice!