Last summer, as I was planting the last row of my small vegetable garden space, one of the pepper plants I had put in went belly-up. With some prime space now available in that row, I found a decent looking pepper plant at the Corner Store Nursery. The pot label said, “Anaheim Pepper” and was listed as a hot, chili pepper. I’m not crazy about hot peppers, but several in my family are, so I planted it. It sat semi-dormant for a while (peppers like warm soil), but then began growing and producing. I bet I got over 50 peppers from that one plant, and they aren’t hot at all, but very mild. I put a couple in the oven and roasted them and they were delicious. This year, I bought two plants, and I bought them early because plants and seeds are going like wildfire. With inflation running wild in grocery stores, home gardeners are running wild as well. They tell me that if you need seeds or plants, buy now or they may not be around when planting time comes, and for peppers, it’s a month or more away.
Anaheim Peppers are mild chili peppers and are quite versatile. Named after the city in California, they average 5 to 6 inches when mature. They grow well in our local soil, but they demand warm weather, not cool nights.
So, patiently I wait, pepper plants at the ready. When the soil warms a bit, I’ll plant them in their new homes and will expect great things and great tasting peppers.