Operation Hot Pepper: Phase 2

Growing “Stupid Hot” Peppers From Seeds

ghost pepper seeds
Ten “Dangerous Hot” Ghost Pepper Seeds
Carolina Reaper hot pepper seeds
Ten “Stupid Hot” Carolina Reaper Seeds
Carolina reaper seeds about to be planted for container garden
Using fake eyelash tweezers to carefully extract a mega-hot seed

You’ll notice that these two kinds of seeds originated in India and South Carolina, respectively. Both are VERY different climates from Seattle, especially in the summer. I’ve never been to India (it’s on the bucket list, though), but I’ve spent plenty of time in South Carolina, which is my mom’s home state (holler out to any SC friends & relatives who may be tuning in!). I know that the Carolinas in the summer are so hot and humid you legit start to hallucinate, without even the benefit peppers or other mind-altering flora that proliferate in the Southern dog days of summer.

I also know that hot sauce–often a homemade concoction of hot peppers floating in vinegar–can be found on every respectable table in the Low Country and beyond. My spouse, Paul, recently became obsessed with hot sauces, which inspired me to attempt the daunting feat of growing stupid hot plants that are native to and thrive in stupid hot, sun-filled environments. Seattle is not this, and our yard is pretty shady, so it’s going to be a challenge.

For this batch, I once again used the Jiffy Seed Starting Greenhouse Kit, with 16 peat pods, 36mm each.

Jiffy Greenhouse
Another Jiffy Greenhouse for the Danger Seeds
Superthrive Plant Vitamin for Seed Starts
FEEEEED ME! Trying sample of seedling “juice.” Does this mean they can’t compete in the Olympics???
Peat pellets partly expanded for Jiffy Greenhouse
Jiffy peat pellets, partially expanded
Jiffy Peat Pellets in Seed Starting Greenhouse
Peat pellets, fully expanded
Ripping open the netting of peat pellets to seed

Paul had also ordered a pack of dried Carolina Reaper peppers after watching a YouTube video where some nice young douchebags ate a whole one for no apparent reason.

We surgically opened one of the peppers and removed the seeds, which I planted as an experiment in a separate row.

Wicked Reaper dried Carolina Reaper peppers
Wicked Reaper Carolina Reaper peppers
a dried Carolina Reaper pepper and some of its seeds
Dried Carolina Reaper seed, disemboweled.
Planting a mega hot Carolina Reaper pepper using tweezers and gloves
Planting Carolina Reaper seeds with tweezers while wearing plastic gloves

Assuming these even sprout, I’m hoping to grow them in large containers in the sunniest part of the yard. Even still, we’re a loooooong way from South Carolina, and a even further from India.

Will these peppers grow in the shadow of Amazon and the Space Needle? Stay tuned to find out!