« October Flowers. | Main | Fall Edibles. »
Sunday, November 09, 2003
Picky Poblanos.
i had one poblano pepper plant last year and although it bloomed quite a bit, i only got one or two peppers from it. the plant didn't set many fruits and most of those that set fell off before getting any larger than my fingernail. at the end of the summer i gave up and pulled the plant.
i bought another poblano this year and the plant grew vigorously (as last year's had) and bloomed constantly, but again, few peppers set and stayed on the plant long enough to become a reasonable size.
until the last few weeks. now the plant is loaded with poblanos of all sizes. including some that are big enough to harvest!
this plant is in exactly the same place and has been treated (i.e. neglected) just as the plant last year. my best guess is that unlike the serranos and bell peppers that thrived through the heat of summer (and continue to thrive through the fall), the poblano performs better in cooler temperatures. a not-too-intensive google search couldn't confirm or deny my hypothesis.
Posted by Erica Bess Duncan in Edibles | Permalink
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341e05fe53ef00d83456e12469e2
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Picky Poblanos.:
Comments
I suspect that you're right on the money. I had a couple varieties of hybrid Italian sweet-type peppers in my tiny garden in Houston (before I moved to Fort Bend County). They gave me nothing a couple of years ago when we had an early cold snap or two. But they survived the winter and, the next year, refused to set fruit all throught the hot summer, waiting until the end of September/early October to start setting. With a mild winter, they actually came through and delivered a few.
At my current abode the previous owner planted a pimento-type pepper plant that looks to be a couple of years old, and it's been setting fruit from spring until right now.
I think if you can get papper plants to survive our winters, they tend to fruit more heavily in subsequent years.
Posted by: UncleBob | Nov 10, 2003 1:24:39 PM
hmmm, i was planning to pull all my remaining peppers (4 serranos + 1 poblano) when they stopped blooming but maybe i'll just cut them back and see what survives.
Posted by: erica | Nov 10, 2003 7:19:40 PM
I had three serrano pepper plants in Houston that made it through three winters (maybe more if their current owners have treated them nice. By the last year, they were as wide as they were high- probably three and a half or four feet, and produced so many peppers that I had to use my imagination to figure out how to use all the fruit (serrano pepper vinegar!)
I think that's my favorite hot pepper. I should've saved some seed.
Posted by: UncleBob | Nov 10, 2003 7:56:13 PM
you should make Mole and Pablano Chicken. MMMMM!
Posted by: Katie | Nov 12, 2003 4:44:19 PM
that sounds very good, katie. i was planning to just make stuffed poblanos, but your dish might be even better!
Posted by: erica | Nov 13, 2003 10:18:03 AM
I'm currently growing Poblanos for the 1st time ever and am getting quite a few peppers growing mid to late June in St. Louis, Missouri area. Soil is heavy clay that I have mixed in Miracle Grow Potting Soil. They seem to require heavy watering as opposed to my Habeneros, Anaheim Green, and Hungarian Wax. Have them planted with full day of sun as well. My wife is Phillipino and roasts them, pulls the skin, and mixes them with a beef and rice combination. Awesome!
Posted by: MattyMo | Jun 27, 2006 11:44:28 AM
I know this is late but I noticed the comments about Poblanos setting lots of peppers when the weather cooled off.
I'm in Texas and I grew Pobes for the first time this year. All summer, the plants grew-- HUGE-- but got no flowers or peppers, while my other varieties put out like mad all season (and continue to do so). Now that it's cooler, my Pobes decided to get on step, in a BIG way! I have dozens of Poblanos coming in, from new buttons to almost 4" long now. I doubt these will be huge meal stuffers, but they'll make fine stuffed appetizers/side dishes, or a yummy pot of chili, or some tasty Poblano-Jack Chicken.
I think the cool-weather theory is spot on...
Posted by: schrodinger | Nov 2, 2009 11:34:08 AM
