Spicy, delicious jalapeños are the focus of my latest post in the Summer Garden Series, and they go perfectly with the Guacamole recipe I shared in my post about growing cilantro in a container.

Last year, the jalapeños from my container garden were the hottest I’d ever had. So, naturally, I decided to plant even more this year! In addition to being a wonderful way to add both heat and flavor to lots of dishes, I’ve found jalapeños very easy to grow in my balcony garden with great results.

Growing Jalapeños in a Container:

• You’ll need soil and fertilizer whether you’re starting from seed or seedling
• I started with seedling, and planted in a pot about 10 inches wide
• I get 4-6 hours of direct sunlight on my balcony, and that seems to be enough for the jalapeños
• The fertilizer can be added one month after planting. Every other week, I sprinkle 2 tablespoons onto the soil and work it in a little, then water.
• Rotate the pot about once a week to ensure the sun is reaching all sides of the plant
• Water frequently, particularly once the plant starts flowering – those will become the jalapeños! 

• If you’re growing from seed, it can take 90-120 days to get peppers. I started seeing peppers after about 60 days from my seedlings.
• Jalapeños can be harvested when they are green or red – young, green peppers are hotter. It will take longer for the peppers to turn red.
• To promote more growth from your jalapeño plant, harvest the jalapeños when they’re green

 

Uses for Jalapeños: 

 

• In guacamole (check out my recipe!)
• In homemade salsa – like this traditional salsa with tomatoes (ingredients pictured) or this black bean salsa
• In this Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
• Jalapeño jelly
• As an ingredient in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc.
• In a salad
• Oven-roasted, then mixed into your favorite cornbread (or any homemade bread) recipe 
• Juiced, as seen in my Orange-Ginger-Jalapeño juice
• Pickled, then canned for all sorts of uses (snacks, salad toppings, additions to chicken/tuna/egg salad, etc.)
• Stuffed with cheese (goat, cream cheese, etc.) and oven-roasted (maybe even wrapped in proscuitto or bacon!)