Mother Chiltepin

摘要

Heirloom seeds are miniature time capsules, connecting people and plants through millennia. For at least 8,000 years, humans have spiced their food with chiles. After discovering traces of chiles on ancient milling stones and cooking pots, archeobotanists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History concluded that people in the Americas began cultivating chiles approximately 6,000 years ago (Brendan Borrell, "What's So Hot About Chili Peppers?" Smithsonian, [April 2009]). It's important to understand how the Chiltepin grows in the wild so that you can be successful at home. Chiltepin seeds should not be sown directly in the ground under full sun like other domesticated chiles. Plant your Chiltepin seed or seedling under a nurse plant. Another option is to plant them in pots, which allows you to move the plant as needed to adjust conditions. Keep the chiles moist, but don't overwater. Chiltepins are not domesticated plants and have not evolved with regular irrigation.