Three Years of Peppers - Local Evidence of Global Climate Change

2014

In the spring of 2014, my mom came to visit and, surprise, surprise, we went shopping for plants. She bought stuff, I bought stuff, and in my pile of stuff was a six-pack of pepper plants.

The little plants did just what they were supposed to do and produced a pile of small green-yellow, ripening to red peppers throughout the summer and into the fall. Wonderful.

2015

Since they were still looking good, or good enough, I kinda didn't get around to pulling them out. They over-wintered 2014/15 and most came back big and busy for a second season. Those that didn't survive were replaced with new pepper plants - King of the North from Fedco.

The 2015 season was also bountiful, and early. Because of their head start, those 2014 peppers began producing peppers by April. Eager little buggers, no?

Fall of 2015 - what to do? Why, leave them in, of course, and wait and see... new baby pepper blossoms in late January.

2016

2016 was a long season - last week I just picked the last round of peppers for the year, although one plant is blossoming and two others are considering his/her lead. Yank 'em? I don't think so.

Now I know better than to take credit for this abundance. Yes, my thumb may have a greenish tinge (brownish, really, because of the ground-in dirt) but the extremely mild winters of recent years have allowed these and other cold-sensitive plants to survive into another year.

It seems that peppers (Capsicum annuum) originated in central-western Mexico, more than 6,500 years ago. But I'm pretty sure that it would be just fine if the climate of central Mexico stayed where it was and didn't show up on my doorstep quite yet.