BRRRR! It's Cold!

For the third day now, the early morning temperature has been in the 40s (7.2 c). The highs haven't been much better, climbing only into the 50s and 60s (10 to 15.6 c). That's about 20 degrees below normal for this time of year in Las Vegas. The wind has also been blowing nonstop. It seems to have gone from Summer to Winter overnight. Our plants aren't caring for the cold and blustery weather either. The Habanero and Tabasco plants looked so bad that I decided to bring them inside on Saturday. Our okra also looked very droopy by yesterday. But there is hope. The forecast calls for highs near 90 (32.2 c) by the end of the week!

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Habanero plant looking much better out of the wind and cold

Pepper Buds

We have lots of buds appearing on our Tabasco and Habanero plants. Hopefully the weather has cooled off enough that the blooms won't drop this time. It would certainly be nice to get a few more peppers. So far our total for the year stands at an awe-inspiring two.

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Tabasco

Habanero

Growing Peppers

This certainly isn't shaping up to be the year of the pepper in our container garden. So far, our plants have produced only six small Jalapenos (four of which were on the plant when I bought it), two very small Tabascos, and one Bell that rotted before it ripened. The Tabasco and Habanero plants look great, but just aren't putting on any blooms or peppers. But at least they are still alive, which is more than I can say for the Jalapeno and Bell (granted, our Mastiff Tessa sat on the bell). Finally, the Purple Beauty Bell Pepper is the slowest growing seedling I've ever encountered. At its current rate it might be ready to set out by next March. Do any of you seem to have more trouble growing peppers than other vegetables?

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Habanero on left, Tabasco on right

Very slow growing Purple Bell Pepper plant

Tiny Pepper with Big Burn

Yesterday I decided to eat this little Tabasco pepper. For some reason, it just didn't grow very large at all. But don't let its tiny stature fool you. It was HOT. I mean that really painful, eye watering, give me something to stop the burning NOW, kind of hot!

Look very closely, it's in the palm of her hand

On a dime

After finally getting my mouth to cool down a bit, I decided to conduct a little research on the heat ratings of my Tabasco relative to other peppers. I found that the pepper industry uses a standardized measurement known as the Scoville unit to rate the capsaicin content (heat) of all peppers. The Scoville scale dates back to 1912 and carries the name of its creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville.

My Tabascos are rated at a very respectable 30,000 to 50,000 of Mr. Scoville's units. Jalapenos, by comparison, come in at a relatively Arctic 2,500 to 5,000. Serranos are a bit warmer at 5,000 to 15,000. The Habanero kicks things up alot with a rating of 200,000 to 350,000. A Red Savina Habanero can surpass even that, reaching a very painful 580,000 Scoville units. But even that scorcher fails to approach the world's hottest chili pepper. The Bangladeshi Bhut Jolokia (also known as the Naga Jolokia or Ghost Chili) obliterates all competition by registering an astonishing 1,001,304 units on the Scoville scale. Wow! I don't think I want one of those.

Tabasco Pepper and Capt. Wayne's Salsa

We finally have a ripe Tabasco pepper! It seemed like the thing would never turn orange. I am really curious about how its going to taste and its heat level. I expect, and hope, that it tastes something like the Tabasco sauce that carries it name.

it even looks hot

On the topic of peppers, Marianne made some of her famously delicious "Captain Wayne's Salsa" the other night with Jalapenos and tomatoes from our container garden. It gets its name from a 747 captain who taught her how to make it. This stuff is addictively good and has a massive kick. If we could bottle and sell it I think we'd be rich in no time. I'd share the recipe, but if I did I might end up in the desert... (Old Vegas reference)

Captain Wayne's Salsa

Under the Desert Sun

Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that my Tabasco plant wasn't looking very happy. In fact, after seeing its droopy and quite wilted leaves, I decided that it must be rapidly approaching its demise from thirst. The temperature, after all, was relatively hot at 107 degrees (going to be 110 today), and we hadn't seen the lower side of 100 for about 8 hours. So, assuming that the heat must have dried out the soil, I walked over and stuck my finger in the dirt just to make sure. What happened then was a bit of a surprise.

While the plant's soil wasn't entirely dried out, my finger found its temperature to be painfully hot. I would compare it to sticking your finger in a brownie that hasn't had time to cool properly after being taken from the oven. The ceramic container that the heat-struck Tabasco calls home was also so hot that I had to wear gloves when moving the plant to a shady location.

A very hot plant

Last night, after having moved the plant, I noticed that the spot where it had been located receives direct sunlight until around 7:30 pm. This morning, as I'm writing this at about 8 am, I see that the same location is already in full Sun. So basically I have been slow roasting my Tabasco plant under approximately 12 hours of full desert Sun each day, with the temperature the past week being over 105 degrees for much of the time. It's really amazing that it's still alive.

After cooling down for a couple of hours

Turn on the AC, Please!

It looks like the dreaded 100 plus degree days have arrived to stay. Today will be the third or fourth in a row in the 105 range. The ten day forecast has all highs coming in at over 100, with tomorrow being the hottest at 108. I 've decided post pics of a few of my plants now, and then repost more of the same plants in a few weeks. It should be interesting to compare the pics and see how they are handling the heat.

Okra

Sunmaster (left), recently planted Heatwave (right)

Heatwave

Lemon Boy

Black Prince

Tabasco Pepper

Jalapeno

Basil (second planting)