VICTORIA MASTER GARDENERS SPRING PLANT SALE
Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon Victoria Educational Gardens Pavilion
283 Bachelors Drive, Victoria, TX 77904
HOT OR NOT? Hard core pepper connoisseurs know the answer, and the difference
by Debbie Bruns/Victoria County Master Gardener
March 8, 2025 (Appeared in The Victoria Advocate)
Habanero peppers (Contributed photo)
Peppers growing for the Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale on March 22, 2025
Peppers growing for the Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale March 22, 2025
It is that time of year again in South Texas, when gardeners are busy planning and preparing for their spring gardens. No warm season garden is complete without one of the most popular fruit-vegetables considered a staple in gardens and kitchens in Texas and around the globe.
Peppers are highly sought after for their expansive culinary versatility and addictively diverse flavor profiles, both simple and complex. I think of peppers as a garden gem, because in the spring they adorn themselves in a kaleidoscope of exquisite colors.
Peppers also come in a vast array of interesting sizes and shapes that are eye-catching and tweak our imaginations. I wonder if these unusual fruits fell out of outer space into our gardens.
But its crowning glory becomes immediately evident when you bite into one. At least two things happen: your taste buds delight with juicy sweetness or your mouth becomes numb, your eyes water and your nose runs from its hot spiciness. Yes, the pepper is an incredible edible.
With over 50,000 known varieties of peppers available, how do we know what is hot and what is not hot but mild? It all has to do with a pepper’s DNA, variable growing conditions and a big thing call Capsaicin.
It is no coincidence or surprise that peppers are scientifically classified as Capsicum. Peppers are members of the nightshade family and are further divided into 20-27 species.
The oldest and most common of these species are Capsicum annuum. Some examples are sweet bell peppers, jalapenos and cayennes.
Swiftly gaining widespread popularity in most cuisines is the species Capsicum chinese. This species champions its spicier cousins, specifically habaneros, scotch bonnets, scorpions, ghosts, and reapers.
Their individual names are akin to something scary jumping out of a horror book. In fact, some of these chilies are so scary spicy and hot, they may catch the pages on fire.
Readers might ask, “Is a spiciness scale to help gardeners and chefs choose just the right heat level of a pepper? Absolutely. It is called the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) and every pepper gets a number.
For example, a sweet bell pepper has a SHU of zero while the common jalapeno scores between 2,500 and 8,000. The delicious habanero’s score can range from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.
Always know the SHU of every pepper you grow, use or share. Look up the score for yourself. Knowledge is power and protection for yourself, children, pets and anyone with whom you share your seeds, harvest or food.
This year, the Victoria County Master Gardener Association (VCMGA) is hosting its Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Victoria Educational Gardens’ Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Drive, Victoria, TX 77904.
Master gardeners are hard at work in the VEG Greenhouse striving to make your pepper dreams come true. From a SHU of zero to 2,000,000 and many levels in-between, we hope to have peppers for every “pepper- head.”
Once you have chosen a heat level, the sky is the limit on color, size, shape, flavor, and whether to eat it, grow it, or just enjoy its unmatched ornamental beauty. We anticipate having pepper choices for all gardeners.
Please spread the word to all the gardeners, chefs and hard core pepper connoisseurs you know. A wide variety of peppers and chili’s await you.
To be or not to be hot, that is the question. Come let’s garden and learn together.