Estela asks: I grew up in Mexico where we had a wonderful avocado tree and lots of different chili peppers growing. I have recently become an American citizen and now live in Hawaii. I want to get some seeds so I can grow peppers and avocados here. Can you recommend a source?
Tropical Gardener Advice: So glad you are bringing some of your horticultural heritage to Hawaii. You may not find all the pepper varieties that you remember from your childhood locally or even in most seed catalogs. The best source that I know for pepper seeds is the Pepper Gal. Her online catalog has sweet and ornamental pepper seeds and more than a dozen pages of hot pepper seeds. You’ll find several varieties of Anaheim, cayenne, poblano/ancho, habanero, jalapeno, pasilla, serrano, some Thai varieties, the ghost pepper and many others I’ve never heard of.
You can also check out what peppers are available at the Community Seed Library at the Kailua-Kona Public Library. Small packets of several pepper varieties are available there. Access to the CSL is open to members and membership is free. Hopefully, you will grow some unusual peppers and can save some seeds to donate back to the seed library. If you want information on ways to save seeds from your plants for yourself and to share, Jill Wagner is teaching “Seed Saving 101” at the library at 10 a.m. on March 3. Come learn ways to save seeds from your favorites so you can grow more plants.
I would advise against growing avocados from seed. Though it is tempting to save the seed from your favorite avocado, it may not produce a tree with similar fruit. The best way to get good fruit is to buy a grafted tree of the species you prefer. Here in Hawaii, Sharwil is quite popular but Kahaluu and Yamagata are also very good. If you go to the Plant it Hawaii website at https://plantithawaii.com/sample-page/avocado/ you can get a full description of the most popular varieties that grow well here. Tropical Edibles Nursery in Captain Cook can usually order trees from them for you if you like. If you have room for several trees, plant ones that bear in different seasons and you might be able to have avocados year round.
To learn more about growing avocados here in Hawaii, check out the 12th annual Avocado Festival which is being held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 3 at Hale Halewai on Alii Drive. Be sure to attend the agricultural presentations at the festival where local avocado experts will be sharing their knowledge. You can see the poster for the event at www.avocadofestival.org.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living in a dryland forest north of Kailua-Kona. Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by Certified Master Gardeners. Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.