Lessons Learned from the 2023 Pepper Season
This has been a very quiet website the last several months. The pepper season – and life, in general – did not go as planned. And sometimes, we’ve just got to step away from things for a bit to refocus. But, we’re back and rejuvenated for the 2024 season!
![superhot peppers](/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-year-review.jpg)
Before we get into the planned varieties for this upcoming season (that post is coming in the next few days), let’s take a moment to reflect on 2023 for a moment and see what we may or may not have learned.
There’s No Planning for Mother Nature
I’ve said this before and I will say it again. Mother Nature is the largest unknown factor when setting off into the wild pepper yonder. Just when we think we are prepared for her, she throws a massive curve ball that catches us off guard. For instance, in my area we had a much colder May/June than we typically do. This chillier weather kept the plants smaller than expected for way too long. As a result, many of my plants failed to produce anything more than a handful of ripened fruit – in November.
A secondary result of the poor weather, was an internal malaise toward the season. I just was not as enthusiastic about my plants as I have been in the past. The lack of growth and production throughout the season was a drain on me mentally that I had not experienced in the past. This would also explain the lack of posts on this website.
Rolling the Variety Dice
Every season, I grow a decent number of varieties. I have my staples that I grow each year, but the majority of the plants that I start are new to me. With that comes an unknown outcome as to whether or not I will ultimately like the end result. Sure, the plants look good and the ripe fruit are beautiful, but the flavors may not match what I personally enjoy flavor-wise.
That’s just the chance we take as growers. Unfortunately, for me, this past season seemed to produce a larger than normal number of plants that I just did not enjoy. That happens. It was just bad timing with the whole Mother Nature thing to create a perfect storm of disappointment.
Time to Prepare for 2024
Despite my feelings for last year, it’s time to regroup and prepare to start sowing seeds next month. I’ve got a preliminary list of plants that I am going to start. There are the usual suspects and, of course, a pile of new ones as well. I feel reinvigorated and ready to get rolling, so here’s to the New Year and a great start to the 2024 pepper season. Happy growing!