Why are my sweet peppers so spicy this year?

[FatBeeFarm]

I've been growing Jimmy Nardello for years. One of my favorite things to do is just eat them straight off the plant for breakfast in the early morning as I harvest tomatoes and other goodies from the garden. They're always candy-sweet and delicious.

The first time I tried that this year my face nearly melted off! It was at a heat level somewhere between Jalapeno and Cayenne, but it took me by surprise. I just wasn't expecting it. I've also had a Beaver Dam melt my face this year too.

Why are my sweet peppers trying to out macho my hot peppers this year? Something in the soil? Cross pollination from prior years? Something else? How do I fix this?

[worth1]

Cross pollination from the year before and the saved seeds.
Or possible back evolving to the original hot pepper that peppers come from maybe but I'm going with the first answer.
My Italian peperoncini started out mild and the volunteers were hotter than the devil.
The ones in Italy are hot.

[Paulf]

I agree with Worth. Peppers are notoriously easy to cross pollenate. If you saved your own seeds, no matter how careful, they most likely got crossed with whatever else was in the area. The best way to a solution is to purchase pepper seeds from a very trusted source. Once crossed no matter what you do they are crossed.

[slugworth]

A legit bell pepper grown indoors and not pollinated but formed a seedless pepper that was hot.
I think they all have the heat but are normally subdued.

[slugworth]

I've seen hot and sweet peppers on the same plant.
I've had hot cherry peppers that were mild for the 1st batch but made you cry twice for the fall crop that turned red.

[pepperhead212]

You didn't mention if you saved the seeds, or bought them, but I'm assuming you saved them, and didn't bag the blossoms. As others have said, peppers are notorious for crossing, and the only way I save seeds is to isolate the blossoms. And since others have "gotten hot", it sounds like those weren't isolated either, and if you bought the seeds, I would contact the supplier.

[Ken4230]

I have a cross pollinated bell. Typical 3 lobed Bell shape, slightly elongated and with the heat of a Tam Jalapeño. I saved the seeds but haven't grown it yet. If I remember correctly the crossed pepper was on the jalapeño plant. That is the reason I noticed it. I thought that was unusual, in my experience most crosses will occur on the mother plant.

[slugworth]

The fun starts when you give peppers away and tell people they are sweet peppers.
Or tell people they are hot and they aren't

[FatBeeFarm]

You didn't mention if you saved the seeds, or bought them, but I'm assuming you saved them, and didn't bag the blossoms. As others have said, peppers are notorious for crossing, and the only way I save seeds is to isolate the blossoms. And since others have "gotten hot", it sounds like those weren't isolated either, and if you bought the seeds, I would contact the supplier.

These are mostly saved seeds, so mystery solved. I appreciate everyone helping me figure this one out. I'll have to buy fresh seeds for 2025 but I'd probably do some of that anyway.

Those Beaver Dam peppers though were vendor seeds so sounds like the vendor had an accident, but I like the vendor and have had good experiences with them for many years so I'm chalking that one up to everyone has a bad day once in a while.

[JRinPA]

I have some crossed this year from my saved Jalafuego seed. I figured it as an F7 or F8 this year, it seemed very stable. Crossed with my Romani last year, I guess. Haven't tasted a ripe one, but if they are a cross I don't plan to save any seed.

Unless I mixed up some seed.

I do have some of my Jalafuego saved that look correct. I used multiple seed cores and mixed them in the same bag before seeding trays this year... So I should get out there and try to bag some blossoms for new seed. Or, I will have to hope I have some older generation yet.

Point is though, hotter peppers can happen due to dry conditions. Personally I think a cross is likely to exhibit visual differences in the fruit. Not just hotter.


Edit to add
I thought Jimmy Nardelo was a hottish pepper.
And two independent lines of pepper both being hotter this year...that would mean two crosses that both appear as normal but seem hotter. Two variables that would have to coincide. Whereas, environmental is just one variable.