Following the Garden Path; Local, State and Federal Cooperation in a Community Garden-Based, Participatory Breeding Project for Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum).

In 2010, the New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute approached the USDA in Beltsville, MD in preparation for a “New Mexico State Chili Pepper Fiesta” to celebrate the chili pepper’s role in American history. My lab volunteered to propagate the 23 NuMex varieties of chili peppers for the event. It was held at USDA headquarters on the National Mall complete with a mariachi band.

In 2011, I made the suggestion to my local Greenbelt Community Garden Club to use the leftover seed from the NuMex germplasm collection to conduct a screening trial for a chili pepper well-adapted to the climatic and disease pressures found in our local community gardens. Starting with 60 volunteers, we began selecting peppers based on flavor and lack of disease. By 2015, we had developed a population which produced disease-free peppers of uniform shape and color, which fit our taste requirements. Twenty-five representative disease-free peppers were selected from 5 garden plots and seeds collected. In 2016, 24 plants were grown outdoors in a single garden, in isolation from other peppers and allowed cross-pollinate, all disease-free fruit were collected and seeds bulked. The result of this effort is a new chili pepper selection called “Steven’s Vamayo”. This medium sized, medium heat chili pepper resembles the shape of the Chimayo chili pepper but is slightly smaller at an average length of 3”. One unexpected trait, which has been appreciated by gardeners, is that “Steven’s Vamayo” appears to have lost determinacy and will flower and produce fruit continuously throughout the summer.

Beginning in 2017, “Steven’s Vamayo” will be grown in trials at the Van Ness Urban Food Hub Initiative rooftop garden in Washington, DC as part of the University of District of Columbia College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences program.