Save Yourself From the Next “Jalapeño Gate”

Many gardeners in the US have become embroiled in a controversy that has been dubbed the ” jalapeno gate ” in the press and social media . While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how this confusion came about, somewhere in the grading process the pepper seeds were swapped, so if you thought you were growing jalapenos, for example, you were actually growing banana peppers or another variety. Here’s what gardeners need to know about the mystery pepper phenomenon and how to avoid it in the future.

What caused the jalapeno gate?

Pepper capers began when a large seed distributor’s semi-automatic sorting equipment dropped the wrong seeds into bags of peppers. As a result, several batches of pepper seed packets shipped to various locations across the US contained mislabeled seeds. Despite the “jalapeno gate” label, this problem is not actually limited to jalapeno seeds, but affects many varieties. While mixing pepper seeds is not uncommon—they are notoriously difficult to tell apart before they begin to bear fruit—part of the problem here is that fewer and fewer suppliers are distributing seeds throughout North America. This can cause problems such as seed mixing, but can also reduce the genetic diversity of the plants grown.

Buy seeds from a local distributor

If you’re not interested in surprise peppers in the future, there are a few things you can do to minimize the chance of this happening to you. Purchasing seeds from a local distributor who produces and distributes the seeds themselves can help reduce the chance of receiving mislabeled seeds. Because the FDA directs each state to independently sample and test seeds that are sold in their jurisdiction, locally grown seeds are more likely to be tested within the jurisdiction in which they are grown. lots of seed packets, there is more room for error.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your seeds or nurseries

If you’re not sure where the seeds or seedlings you buy come from, don’t be afraid to ask. You may or may not be able to tell from the label where your seeds came from or who originally produced them. There are some labeling methods that are meant to tell grocery store customers the country of origin of their products, seed labeling is a bit more vague. You may need to ask a few questions and research your seed supplier’s practices to know exactly where your seeds come from and what the risk of growing an unexpected crop really is.

Save your seeds so you know what you’re growing

Saving your own plant seeds that you have grown yourself often produces predictable results. Since most peppers are self-pollinating, the chance of getting an occasional cross-pollinated fruit that will produce a cross-pollinated seed is quite low. To further reduce the chance, you can hand-pollinate the peppers with pollen from the same variety of pepper. You can use a very small paintbrush or cotton swab to gently dust the inside of each flower of a plant of the same variety.

Enjoy Your Mystery Pepper

Since you already have pepper plants and they are probably already fruiting if planted, you have no choice but to enjoy your unexpected variety of pepper. However, to participate in some research on how this happened and how to minimize the problem in the future, contact your local university’s horticulture department to see if they are tracking this and/or would like to sample your peppers. . .