LAS CRUCES, N.M. –– On Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11, the Chile Pepper Institute hosted its annual spring plant sale. By 8 a.m. on opening day, a long line of home gardeners with grocery lists and homemade boxes waited to buy plants and vegetables for the upcoming growing season.
The chile sale is a “one-stop shop for home gardeners in the southwest,” according to April Beauchemin, Program Specialist of the Chile Pepper Institute.
The institute is the world’s only non-profit institution dedicated to the research and education of all things chile pepper. It has dedicated itself to continuing the legacy of Fabian Garcia, one of the first graduates of New Mexico State University and creator of the first New Mexican pod type of chile. All New Mexican chilies such as Hatch Green, Anaheim and Sandia Select derive from his original pod type. At the sale, many of these tried-and-true chilies of the region are available to buy.
This year, the sale had 15 varieties of chile, allowing something for everybody.
There are the classic NuMex chilies, which grow great in this climate, vary in spice level and pack a lot of flavor.
The spiced jalapeños ripen to an orange and yellow color. They include all heat levels – ranging from 20,000 to 80,000 on the Scoville scale.
The traditional chile de arbol, serrano and poblano are staples for the New Mexican diet.
Trinidad Moruga Scorpio and Bhut Jolokia, also known as the Superhots, are for the chile heads and heat chasers.
The bell pepper varieties are great for those making salads and stir-fries.
The sale had a dozen varieties of tomatoes and a half dozen varieties of squash, zucchini and eggplant. It also had half a dozen herbs and a dozen varieties of flowers.
Garderes came from all over New Mexico for the sale. Lucy Prater, native to Belen, left at 5 a.m. to make it in time for opening. This was her third time traveling for the sale and she was especially excited for the green chile.
Another shopper who had been looking forward to this sale all year was NMSU alumna Gloria Thomen. Thomen is 75 years old and has been attending the plant sales since she was a student. She believes the quality of the plants is wonderful.
“The sale is important because it supports the multiple students who work on growing the plants,” Thomen said.
Thomen and her husband came for the tomatoes, which they then plan to can after the harvesting season.
For those who come to buy multiple flats, this was the first year the new pre-order option was available to shoppers. Beauchemin found inspiration for this idea from her years attending NMSU.
“I heard about this plant sale and there was at least three years in a row I tried to attend and by the time I showed up, there were like maybe a couple dozen tomato plants but of course I came for chile,” Beauchemin said. “I was just so disappointed.”
With this presale option, customers have the ability to buy full flats of any variety the institute offers from the comfort of their own home. The plants are then planted according to the requests and can be picked up days before the sale to ensure no wait. This also benefits the customers who come to the sale, easing traffic and making sure they have more of a fighting chance to get the plants they want before they sell out. Next year, Beauchemin wishes to take the presale option a step further and allow customers to make special requests for the plants they are looking to have in their garden that the institution may not usually plant.
The sale is an essential fundraiser for the institute. The sale provides revenue for the institute that helps them through the slower months in early summer, when everyone has already sown their chile seeds and visitor traffic slows down. The funds also help support the salaries of the students who work at the institution.
Through the sale, the Chile Pepper Institute is a pillar in helping serve the community. The institue is a reliable source for plants that thrive in our region and ensures they grow true to type. They are also able to save people time and resources, eliminating the stress of failed germination in seeds. By providing the community with these plants, they are able to allow home gardeners to grow their own produce, which supports those who may not have the funds to purchase food from big-box grocery stores.
There is one thing customers have to do this year due to the unexpected dust storms and freezing temperatures that occurred. Since germination, the plants have been growing in a greenhouse with diluted sunlight. Due to the weather, the plants have lost out on a crucial step of acclimatization, also known as hardening off. Beauchemin wishes to educate customers this year on the process.
“They can’t just go home and transplant these plants,” Beauchemin said. “They have to go home and slowly over the course of 7-10 days, acclimate these plants to the outdoor environment so that they are not shocked when they are transplanted.”
For those looking for additional information on all things Chile, you can visit https://cpi.nmsu.edu/events.html
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