To Pinch, Or Not To Pinch

pinched jalapeño tops

My morning ritual always starts with a visit to my garden. No matter how many times I've looked at my plants, every visit is like a new one. And the thing that I admire the most is my jalapeño peppers, especially the oldest of the baby fruits. Compared to the other jalapeños, I could tell that the first one is going to be special. Why? Because the other peppers are not as large as that baby.

However, I of course want the others to reach that size, and one of the ways I can do so is by pinching back jalapeño plant. I haven't done so since planting because the flowers are always falling off. Now that I have 6-8 young jalapeño fruits, I dare to pinch.

There are two sides on this debate on whether or not to pinch back jalapeño peppers: one group says yes, you should pinch back, another group says don't bother. Let's take a look at both groups

How To Grow Jalapeño Peppers In Containers

Jalapeño plant

Welcome back to My Garden Haven! As promised, here's the section for how to grow jalapeño peppers in containers. Jalapeños are relatively easy to take care of once you have the right requirements, but can be challenging to grow in places that have cold temperatures and wet climates. However, those conditions should not discourage you. If you have started with basil, oregano, and other easy-to-grow herbs, it’s time to step things up a notch and grow peppers in your garden.

I got my seeds from Canada, and I went ballistic when I saw them in the balikbayan box that my mom sent in. I did the crazy pepper dance (whatever that is, I leave it for you to imagine) and plans start blooming in my head, all of them starting from salsa, enchiladas, and sauces – and I haven’t even planted the seeds yet. Crazy I know, but these thoughts really spurred me to growing jalapeño peppers on my balcony.

The Jalapeño Buds

After so many flower drop-offs, I was finally rewarded with jalapeño peppers. These will be my first harvest, and I am guessing it will take about a week or two to mature with the rate that they are going.

The first pepper is 3-4 days old, with the 5th one jus emerging from the flower yesterday. With the coming of the peppers, my jalapeño plant will be going dormant in terms of flower production. But, as the saying goes, patience is a virtue.

Here's to hot days ahead.

posted from Bloggeroid

My Jalapeño

I have been intrigued by jalapeños when I watched this episode of the Guinness Book of World Records where a man ate as many of these peppers in a stipulated time. Second time I got interested in it was when I ate a spicy squid dish at my favorite Chinese restaurant Mr. Ho in Canada. This pepper, unfortunately, is not sold in the Philippines – in seed or produce. If there is one, I am not within the market circle because my best shopping haven is the humble SM Supermarket.

I was ecstatic when my mom sent me a packet of jalapeño pepper seeds from Canada. There are so many varieties of jalapeños, and they can be pretty overwhelming to try out which one if you do not know what you want. The variety that I got, however, is the mild one - the mucho nacho jalapeno. I now regret not having a good photo for the seed packet. I never thought that I would be blogging again after so long.