May 2020 - 17

GREEN GOODS
Some Like it Hot!
Super-hot chili peppers have
a strong following, particularly
with those who love ethnic foods
such as Mexican, Asian, Brazilian,
African or Indian, to name a few.
Visit a local ethnic grocery or
restaurant to find out what chilis
your customer base may be eating
or preserving. Most likely, they
would prefer to grow their own.
There is an abundance of exciting
new chilis and hot peppers coming
to market that will appeal to any
number of chili lovers.
Be ready for those customers
seeking out the hottest-of-thehot
with Scoville units that sizzle:
'Carolina Reaper', 'Scotch Bonnet',
'Ghost' or classic habanero.
On the milder side, recent
visitors to my trials were searching
for fresh little black chili peppers
used in Asian cooking. 'Chenzo' fit
the profile of what they needed:
45,000 scoville units, hot and
sweet, 2-inch-long taper. An
African-borne colleague prefers
'Atomic' at 90,000 scoville units,
which his family soaks in vodka
to make a pepper sauce. He says
'Atomic' is here to play!
For those wanting " entry "
level heat, jalapenos, serrano
and Hungarian wax peppers may
still raise a sweat for those with
sensitive palates.
Keep in mind that the frutescens
or baccatum species, from which
many hot peppers derive, have
very long maturity times: 90+ days
from transplant into the garden.
Offer larger-sized containers of
chili peppers of more advanced
plant size so customers can enjoy
earlier harvests.
Space-Saving Vegetables
Initially, dwarf hybrid veggies were
referred to as patio edibles - and
a new category was born. However,
with the next generation learning
to garden, and a tendency to take
descriptions quite literally, be careful
not pigeon-hole this expanding class
to the patio or a single application.
What if customers don't have a
patio? Can you increase sales by
offering space saving veggies in a
wider range of pot sizes from packs
to gallons?
Breeding innovations have
created veggies that are more
proportional in size to today's
garden situation while still
producing substantial harvests.
Position these varieties as
the solution for those with
limited space options. Whether
transplanted to a container, hanging
basket, vertical wall or a small
patch in the garden, varieties with
compact, determinate habits and an
abundance of easy-to-pick fruit will
be attractive to both beginner and
experienced gardeners.
Tomato 'Sweet 'N' Neat' has
scarlet or yellow cherry tomatoes
and checks the box as both a snack
item and a space saver. It can be
kept in container as small as a
gallon to tuck into a window box or
planted in raised garden bed.
Cage Programs
Pre-caged tomatoes are showing
up more frequently at retail. For
the space- and time-challenged
consumer, the opportunity to avoid
putting any additional effort into
a tomato over the season is very
tempting. In addition to main
season sales, cage programs can
provide opportunity to extend the
selling season for those who forget
to purchase their tomatoes earlier.
Sadly, many times the wrong
variety is placed in the cage. Is putting
a tomato that matures anywhere
from 40 inches tall to 6-7 feet in
length appropriate for a container
with a cage at best 18-24 inches
tall? Would a space saving variety
whose size at the end of the season
is proportional to the cage size be
more appropriate?
The questions retailers need
to ask is what is the purpose of
the cage and the expectation of
the consumer over the season?
Is the consumer expecting a " one
and done " situation where they
take the tomato home and it will
remain proportional to the cage
and container? If the cage is to
assist the grower in transport to
Snap pea 'Snak Hero'
'Basket of Fire' chili peppers
Tomato 'Sweet 'N' Neat'
LGRMAG.COM | 17
http://www.LGRMAG.COM
May 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2020
