Peppers, Hot to Mild

There are hundred of peppers available for your garden -- anywhere from mild to very hot. Peppers thrive on hot Kansas weather, and they can be planted in a container, raised bed, or garden. Or, they can be used to dress up your landscape.

Produced by the Department of Communications at Kansas State University. For more information, visit our website at: http://www.kansasgreenyards.org

Transcript:
Peppers - Hot to Mild

There are a huge variety of different types of peppers that you can grow in your home garden here in Kansas. Our hot weather is perfect for almost any type of pepper you could want to grow.

These peppers are an example of three different types of Asian peppers. First, we have a variety called Yatsufusa. It’s a Thai chili. It grows upright which is similar to a lot of ornamental peppers, and you can use it green or red. You can also let it dry on the plant, and then pick it to use as a dried chili. It’s an extremely hot pepper. You may want to use only one pepper for a dish. So, a home gardener may want to plant just one of these plants.

The next one is another type of Asian pepper called Sapporo Hot. It’s a little bit bigger, and it’s not quite as hot. It starts out green. You can use it when it’s green or red. These two small peppers are the Thai chili peppers – they’re very hot. The two larger red peppers are the Sopporo Hots. Both of them can sit on the countertop until dry, and then you can use them as dried chili at anytime throughout the fall, winter, or next year.

In this container we have four different types of peppers. We have bell peppers, Anaheim chili peppers, a snack pepper, and a banana pepper. Peppers are extremely versatile. They can be grown in containers, raised beds, or anywhere in your garden. They can be very ornamental, so you don’t have to keep them in your vegetable area. And, there are over 600 different types of peppers available. So, if you don’t like the taste of one of the peppers, you can just try a different variety.

This feature story prepared with Rebecca McMahon, Kansas State University Research and Extension Horticulture Agent, Sedgwick County. For more information, visit your local county extension office or visit our website at KansasGreenYards.org.