A lot of interesting info here, and obviously plenty of room for debate. I don't have near the knowledge many of you do but I can share my personnel experience as a hobbyist gardner. For several decades I have refused to use pesticides, just basically not liking the idea of using poisons. Knowing that a healthy plant is more successful in fighting disease and pests I would use chemical fertilizers to help keep my plants healthy. Well unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I was forced into early retirement and the last couple of years I have had a lot more time for hobby stuff. I started composting, having readily available lots of leaf and green matter in the yard. Then I started learning more about soil biology by poking around the web (that's how I found this place). So I decided to up the game and go 100% organic, relying only on my compost, and compost teas. My plants were easily just as if not more healthy than previous years, but the thing I noticed most was it seemed I had more beneficial insects in the garden. A couple of years I tried to introduce lady bugs for the occasional aphid problem. They would just fly away never to be seen again. This year no aphids but I kept seeing the random ladybug. Additionally I have found it hugely satisfying and feel a more complete cycle between my garden and my table. I am increasing my knowledge and experience of composting, and feel my compost is becoming better with every batch by adding simple things such as alfalfa and seaweed (always take my pack when I visit the ocean). Having a microscope I have also been able to see for myself the change and increase of microbial life in my soil and assume that will lead to a more healthy relationship between plant and soil. Now I have to find someone to give my leftover chemical ferts to..

Hi MusicSub - Well, I wouldn't say I abandoned it, no and I hadn't heard there is a new square foot gardening method. I'll have to check it out. I still grow in raised beds and plant fairly close together, but I don't mark out each square foot or pay that much attention to the distance. I'm still paying more attention to other projects, I guess. This year, I planted in the spring, kept it mulched and watered and barely paid any attention to the vegetable garden at all. It made a difference, I was not as successful with the garden this year. I've had trouble with tree roots invading my veggie beds and I just didn't have time to dig them all out before I got started. It was discouraging. Speaking of peppers and having no fruit on the plants. I planted Carmen peppers this year. I grew them in the backyard where there is 6hrs of sun and the front yard where there is full sun. I've always planted them in the back and produced peppers by the end of the season. This year the plants in the front grew much larger than those in the back. I'd say double the size. Strangely, same variety of pepper, 3ft apart, in same amount of sun, same amount of fertilizer and water. One Carmen pepper was covered with peppers and nothing on the other one, all season. Plenty of flowers and bees too. I just noticed there are a few tiny peppers on that plant finally, but the other plant has a lot more and already picked a couple of red ones. The Carmen pepper is a nice elongated pepper and they really produced. I'd say that they have a thin wall though. I really like a juicy Bell pepper and I haven't found one I like yet. I have about a half dozen still left in the back that are almost all red. And a dozen green peppers in the front right now. Sungold tomato - grew it in the back in 6hrs of sun and full sun in the front. What a difference. The plant in the front is probably triple the size of the one in the back. Pushing out tomatoes to beat the band. Shared them all summer and had more than enough for us. It was our earliest tomato too. I just brought in 5 dinner plates full of ripe tomatoes this morning from one plant. Pretty good for doing very little to the plant all summer. Weekly, half strength Neptune fertilizer and that was about it.

I am a TOTAL chili head! My father got me hooked as a child and now that I am hooked he doesn't like the heat like he used to!! LOL! I am DREAMING of doing my own "Tabasco" style sauce but with 50% Chili and 50% Garlic! WE NEED A RECIPE FORUM HERE!!!!!! I am also a TOTAL garlic head! When I cook I use about a WHOLE BULB per MEAL! I even swallow pieces of Garlic like pills when I'm sick because I heard it helps with non-viral infections/colds. (Don't swallow small hole cloves...learned that the hard way...they don't digest - one SCARY morning!!!) I make one mean Chili Re-a-n-os (I can't spell it) so I am trying to grow plablanos. I drive from Chicago to Arizona for the holidays and sometimes take the long road through Hatch New Mexico and pick up a few bags of freshly dried chilies. That is where I get the seeds for a lot of my plants! I get the bonus of eating AND growing! You can take the seeds from the jars of Chili Flakes that you buy at the store and grow from those too! I am so glad I checked out this site! I am now hooked! Laters!

Charlie, I didn't grow any of the NMSU varieties this year but have seeds and will grow several next year including the heritage varieties. I've been in the garden most of the morning. And I believe it is Kim's Colassal that is getting several large ones on them. For the last few years I've been growing mainly some chile types and selections from a grower/breeder from Fowler, CO. He wrote some papers and did some work in conjunction with CSU. They grow a lot of chiles along the Arkansas Valley from Pueblo east to Lamar. Driving down the road you smell one stand after another roasting them. Basically all chile varieties came from NM including the Anaheims. All I grew this year are open pollinated. I do save seeds. Have never had problems in the past but did plant a little closer this year and also planted flowers amongst the tomatoes so had more pollinators. So won't know the purity of what I save this year till after I grow them out next year. Both Colossal Kim and Kim's Colossal along with a Joe E Parker selection and a selection of the Pueblo chile are all from him. Again I will have to do some checking. Getting ready to go watch the KSU football game on TV. I think it is Colossal Kim(which is a stable cross with Big Jim) that is the mildest. I'm also growing one from a saved NM Chile and that is what I call it. I have a picture of it on my photobucket site. It isn't as big as some but very meaty and thick fleshed and most are what I call mild. I grew a Navajo type from a reservation also. I leave most of mine to turn colors unless I want one to eat or roast. The others just continue to grow unless they change colors then I pick them and either freeze, roast and freeze or hang to dry. And don't think I've tried any of the Navajo's yet. I grew a selection the Pueblo Chile for several years that was mild. When I return I will do some checking and try to list some names. Big Jim is ok but there are several available I like better. There are also some good hybrids. Next year I will grow the Kim's and maybe the NM and Navajo and then the rest will be from NMSU. And I can't remember if they are hybrids or op's. Will have to check. It is hard to judge heat for someone else. What has a hint of heat to me burns my BIL and his brother up. The link Dawn posted explains it very well. I can set and eat something and be sweating and my mouth still won't be just burning up. Another will be on fire and they won't never sweat as they don't eat them that long. I will list a few of what are considered mild ones when I return. Weather especially moisture also can determine the heat a variety has. One reason one year the same variety will seem hotter. Cooking and roasting a chile will make them milder. If they are hot they will still be hot but will moderate some. The types of chiles vary greatly. I remember and old NM grower who always said he could tell you on what side of US 66 a chile came from by looking at it. And in many cases the locale. I read an article I believe by NMSU recently that stated the same thing. Chiles vary is size and shape due to their uses and climate where they are grown along with local preferences. But like tomatoes growers tend to due selections when saving seeds so my Big Jim as an example may be hotter than that of another. So when I state a variety is mild it can depend on the source of the seeds along with the other variants I mentioned above how mild or hot yours will be. My suggestion is when you find one you like if it is an op just save seeds. Save enough so if a variety crosses one year you always have the true seeds to go back too. Jay