À propos Red Maskinongé pepper
Red when ripe, the Maskinongé Red pepper does not burn the mouth. Developed through selection over 30 years in Lanaudière, this cultivar is extremely well adapted to local conditions and produces a flavorful fruit used to make chili powder, and it can be frozen for winter consumption like a bell pepper. Hardy, it ripens its fruits until late autumn.
Germination in heat recommended. Transplant after the last frost.
Growing tips for the red pepper of Maskinongé
A little history!
At the time, my father worked in collaboration with Steve Brisson in seed production and it was Steve who produced the seeds of the Cow Horn pepper, a curved red pepper that was not too hot for the mouth and moderately productive in our climate. After 10 years of production, Steve gave up this activity to devote himself full-time to beekeeping. It is also he who produces the honey that is on sale at our shop. In any case, when he stopped seed production, my father recovered the lines he had worked on, including the Cow Horn pepper, which he continued to produce for nearly 10 years, always keeping the seeds of the fleshiest fruits formed on the most productive plants. And now, 6 years ago, my father observed a metamorphosis in the characteristics of this cultivar. The plants now reached 60 to 70 cm in height and were laden with a multitude of red fruits, much less curved than the original peppers. Noting this new personality of the chili, superbly adapted to the conditions prevailing in the valley bathed by the Maskinongé River, he decided to rename it the Red Maskinongé chili, which, without a doubt, is becoming a jewel of Quebec's genetic heritage. When frozen, it loses its heat and can be eaten like a bell pepper. My father makes an excellent chili powder from it, which he mixes with Paprika pepper powder and Habanero chili powder. You can vary the proportions to prepare a more or less spicy powder, depending on your taste and your tolerance to capsaicin!
Catherine, owner of Semences du Portage
Yves Gagnon
Growing conditions for chili peppers
Chili peppers are heat-loving and light-loving plants. They are propagated by indoor sowing and transplanted after the last frost to a sunny, wind-protected location; earlier transplants should be done under the protection of a layer or tunnel. Pollination of chili flowers is affected by cold, extreme heat, and drought. Prolonged drought and temperatures below 13°C or above 28°C cause flower drop, reducing early fruit set and affecting yield. Protection against cold is strongly recommended at the beginning of the season. Chili peppers prefer sandy soils, as they warm up more quickly, but are more productive in clay soils, provided they are well-structured and shaped into beds. Chili peppers have low nitrogen requirements. An excess of this element promotes leaf development to the detriment of fruit set. Young compost and nitrogen fertilizers are therefore harmful to them. The soil for its cultivation is amended with 500 kg to 1 t of mature compost per 100 m2. The species requires an adequate presence of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium; an addition of basalt, mica or sul-po-mag combined with mineral phosphate at a rate of 5 kg of fertilizer per 100 m2 allows these mineral needs to be met. 15 ml of shrimp or crab meal and 15 ml of dolomitic lime or wood ash could also be added to the transplanting pit. In dry periods, irrigation is carried out with temperate water, manually or using a drip system. The optimal pH for growing chili peppers is between 6 and 7.
Chili Pepper Crop Rotation
Chili peppers are grown after a demanding crop, normally in the second year of rotation. They can also be grown in the first year of rotation alongside heavy-duty plants, as long as the fertilization is adapted to their needs.
Companionship of chili peppers
Chili peppers can be combined with all leafy vegetables, as well as artichokes, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplants. They should be grown in full sun but sheltered from the wind.
— These valuable tips were written by Yves Gagnon, in the book The ecological cultivation of vegetable plants , Colloidal Editions.
