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Bonnie Plants' Worlds Hottest Habanero - the final chapter.

DMForcier
9 years ago

As many of you know, ain 2012 people went to the box stores and bought Bonnie Plants' "Worlds Hottest Habanero" (WHH). What they got wasn't a habanero at all, but a Yellow Fatalii from central Africa. Now, fatalii is a really good pepper, and based on recommendations here on GW, this year several people - myself included - bought the same label expecting the same plant.

We didn't get it.

What we got was a pepper that looked like an orange habanero. But unlike the habs you get in the store this one has excellent heat and a fruity, vaguely citrus flavor. Quite a good pepper, but not fatalii.

A couple weeks ago I contacted Bonnie Plants, hoping to get the real story behind "Worlds Hottest Habanero". Kimberley replied and I learned the following:

* Bonnie Plants has nursery stations (where they grow the plants) all over the US, but they all share the same seed stock.
* WHH is not a different variety: it is (or is supposed to be) BP's normal Orange Habanero offering.
* The fatalii mix-up was due to their supplier supplying the wrong seed. Just like us they can't tell the variety until the plant puts out pods.
* The "Worlds Hottest Habanero" label is outdated and is supposed to be retired but the stations are apparently using up the old labels.
* BP has gotten good feedback on fatalii, and along with some other varieties would likely offer them as regular stock IF they could get the seeds in sufficient quantity. (She couldn't be specific, but 100+ lbs wouldn't surprise me.)

As for this year's WHH, my attitude toward 'pedestrian' habs has been changed. This is a good pepper, and one I'm likely to grow again.

Epilogue: Bonnie Plants has a "3rd Grade Cabbage" program where they distribute seedling cabbage plants to 3rd grade students to grow. The cabbage variety commonly grows to 40 lbs! and last year they distributed over a million plants.

Welcome to gardening, little children!

We now return control of your TV set to you. Tune in next week for more Stories from the Outer Limits of the Garden. - s/ Dennis Sterling

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