The Way Too Premature 2023 Pepper Season Plan
Wow. Time has absolutely been flying since I shut down the garden for the year. I almost forgot all about the annual “Too Early” plan for next year! Every year around the late November timeframe I start to go through my ever-growing inventory or seeds (174 different pepper varieties at the time of this writing) and select a good handful that I would like to grow for the following season. Each year the list is usually more than I end up with and the varieties typically change by the time everything goes outside, but it’s always fun to start planning.
Just like in season’s past, there are always staple varieties that I grow each year – usually low-to-mild heat peppers that my wife uses for cooking. For 2023, I am introducing a larger number of sweet pepper varieties into the mix (three as you’ll notice in the list below). I am also planning a few plants from two new-to-me vendors that I have not worked with in the past.
As usual, I will also have a small number of “last chance” varieties in the list. Those are the seeds that haven’t germinated in previous seasons. I typically apply the three strikes rule to pepper seeds though sometimes they may get a fourth opportunity if I really, really want the variety in my garden.
So, enough of my idle chit chat, here is the list of peppers that I plan to start for the 2023 season:
- Agata’s Tongue (Big Chupe)
- Aji Cristal
- Aji Mango
- Alba Regia Pepper
- Big Jim (x4)
- Biquinho Yellow
- Blot
- BRMX Yellow
- Carolina Reaper
- CGN 20497 Cardenasii (last chance)
- Cumra Cherry
- Flexuosum (last chance)
- Hangjiao 3 – Solar Flare
- Harold St. Barts
- Hellapeno
- Jalapeno (x4)
- Jay’s Red Ghost Scorpion
- Joy’s Ghost Cayenne
- Macapa Red
- Melon Rocoto (last chance)
- Mini Bell Mix
- Orion
- Primotalii
- Purple UFO
- Red Bell
- Redgum TigerMamp x Chocolate Nagabrains
- Scorpion – White Moruga
- Scotch Brain XCP Yellow
- St. Lucia Scotch Bonnet
- Sugar Rush Red
- Super Bhut JW
- Sweet Purple (Peach)
- Swiss Chocolate Cross
- White Thai
- Purple Gator Jigsaw
Again, the above list is very likely going to change at some point prior to the start of the season. I may go through my inventory one evening and spy something I missed or haven’t grown in a while. I am also quite susceptible to late night seed shopping online. So, you really never know what’s going to happen between now and seed sowing time.