But farmers have no control over pollination and fruiting. Tilton further explained that farmers can force plant growth by feeding the soil, and induce flowering. But now it's almost September, and Tilton still hasn't picked any peppers because it's too hot. And typically, he would have picked some peppers already. That's nearly six months of growing time before Tilton sees a return. Tilton explained the pepper growing process, and why this summer has been abrasive: "We germinate pepper seeds in January, and put them in the ground in April May, when all chances of frost have passed – peppers are deliciously sensitive, like tomatoes." So a hobby became a business, now 10 years old. He grew his proclivity for gardening from a few dozen to several hundred varieties of peppers, which were way more than he could consume or give away, and some were too hot for his wife's restaurant. His wife had a restaurant, so he grew specialized peppers for her. The milder they are, the easier they are to grow.” – Ron Tilton, Hill Country Hot PeppersĪ lifelong gardener, Tilton is a retired scientist and instructor for UTMB on Galveston Island. “The heat this summer made it difficult to grow the super hot peppers. He called it a "farmer's favorite weather." We haven't had enough of that this year. The day we spoke, the sky was studded with fat gray clouds, threatening rain and hiding the sun. Ron Tilton from Hill Country Hot Peppers in Wimberley had a lot to say about how the summer of 2022 is pummeling his pepper crop. Drought is here in Central Texas, along with that stunning sun. And while drought may be a local condition, it isn't isolated to Mexico, nor New Mexico. While I find this kind of transparency from a company refreshing, it paints a bland, sad picture: less Sriracha in our lives. In June, the Huy Fong company, makers of Sriracha, forecasted a shortage due to weather conditions, particularly a massive drought in Mexico, causing a chile pepper shortage. Are these our new summers going forward? How could this affect the crops that ultimately fuel our lives? And ultimately, how could climate change potentially affect our beloved hot sauces, down to the cultivation of peppers, and their potential spiciness? Plus, it's been bone-dry, a situation only recently rectified by Shoal Creek bursting containment in a series of storms that resulted in not just local but statewide floods. Our weather folks looked and found our temperatures were 4.8 degrees warmer than an average July in Austin, almost a full degree warmer than the previous hottest July 11 years ago. We've had the hottest July since 2011, with a mean temperature of 90.6 degrees. Ron Tilton at Hill Country Hot Peppers in Wimberley (Photo by John Anderson)Īustin's had a super hot summer, even for Texas.
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