Pepper seed contribution questions

Sharing Seeds Seed Project
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Apologies if I should be contacting @anna directly, or posting this in a different part of the forum. Feel free to delete or move as appropriate…

I plan to contribute some Capsicum seeds, and had some questions:

  • I’m growing in the humid tropics of Hawai’i. Are my seeds still desired, since almost everyone seems to be selecting for genetics that work in cold climates?
  • For the 2024 Seed Program, you were accepting Capsicum baccatum, but that species isn’t listed at the 2025 Contributing Seeds page. Do you no longer want those? (I have a few ‘Aji omnicolor’ seeds I could share.)
  • I had in my head that somewhere (perhaps in the thinkific course) it was recommended to separate hot and sweet varieties by at least 30’. The 2025 Contributing Seeds page specifies 20’ or more. To confirm, is 20’ adequate for contributions?

Thanks for your coordination work!

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Hey Norris. You mentioned me, so i’m seeing this, and that’s what matters. :slight_smile:

YES! your seeds are still welcome. Strong seeds are strong seeds, and tend to do well in various tough conditions. Our aim is diversity. And there are definitely other tropical growers interested in peppers!

baccatum seeds are also accepted. In the last couple years I have grouped the different hot pepper species together in a single mix. Most contributions tend to be annuum, but other species are welcome as long as they are identified.

20’ isolation should be fine. These guidelines are hard to set when so much depends on climate, pollinators, what else is going on in those 20 or 30 feet. Use your best judgement as a grower – if you feel confident that the likelihood of crossing is slim to none, then go ahead and submit them.

LMK if I missed anything or you have other questions.

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Hi Norris

As Anna said, yes, your seeds are welcome. I’m selecting for sunscald resistance.

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For next year, could I submit Capsicum baccantum seeds I got from Dried Internatioanl Grocery Store Peppers (Aji amarillo & Aji panca)? Seeds are viable but since I have no land for my seeds to adapt to, is it still okay to send them in for others with land to do what I couldn’t?
It would be a shame not to get these genetics into people landraces only because I can’t garden (That’s what other seed stewards told me about submiting seeds from the grocery store, even if they’re rare & not common).

Same question extends to Capsicum annum types, I have like ~20 different cultivars (Many of them rare & not easily available online).

Also in theory baccantum x annum hybrids welcome?
Are you also excepting Black Seeded Peppers (Capsicum pubecens)? Very different species that aren’t crossable with Capsicum annuum or Capsicum baccantum.

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