Growing Mexican Ingredients in Zone 5a

[Darienne]

Am about to put in an Mexican ingredient order for seeds with Richter's, an excellent herb and vegetable greenhouse located in Ontario. Ed is going to rototill a patch of the old gourd patch for me and Ms Black Thumb will see what she can get.

My order: Epazote, Anaheim, Poblano, De Arbol, Pasilla, Serrano, and Tomatillo. Have I forgotten anything?

(If I can make it there, I'll buy plug paks for the Tomatillo, the only plugs offered of the above list.)

They have no beans which are meant to be cooked from dry, only wax beans and such. Can you get beans across the Canadian border with no problems? Can I plant pinto beans which I can buy at the bulk food store? I seem to recall doing just that a couple of decades ago.

Thanks.

[Doodad]

Cilantro. Should be slow to bolt up there. Mexican oregano maybe?

[kalypso]

My order: Epazote, Anaheim, Poblano, De Arbol, Pasilla, Serrano, and Tomatillo. Have I forgotten anything?

(If I can make it there, I'll buy plug paks for the Tomatillo, the only plugs offered of the above list.)

Thanks.

Good luck on your project. I suspect you'll have better luck than you think.

Just an FYI, pasilla is a dried chile, fresh they are called chilaca and are pretty easy to grow.

[Jaymes]

I'd suggest you grow the herbs (cilantro and epazote) in pots that you can bring in when the weather turns cold.

[Darienne]

Thanks for the information. I do have some nice terra cotta pieces that I got at the Cavan Mall (aka the transfer station/ aka the dump) last year and I'll plant the herbs in those.

[Jaymes]

Cilantro. Should be slow to bolt up there. Mexican oregano maybe?

The Mexican oregano is a good idea.

Mediterranean oregano, Mexican oregano, and marjoram

Too bad you can't order from Rancho Gordo up there. He's got a Mexican oregano that's the best I've ever tasted:

Rancho Gordo Oregano Indio

That stuff is fantastic.

[Darienne]

Cilantro. Should be slow to bolt up there. Mexican oregano maybe?

The Mexican oregano is a good idea.

Mediterranean oregano, Mexican oregano, and marjoram

Too bad you can't order from Rancho Gordo up there. He's got a Mexican oregano that's the best I've ever tasted:

Rancho Gordo Oregano Indio

That stuff is fantastic.

Got it. The Mexican oregano. Had forgotten all about it. Thanks.

[Darienne]

Chile Peppers: Hot Tips and Tasty Picks for Gardeners and Gourmets (Brooklyn Botanic Garden Handbooks)ed. Beth Hanson. Not listed on Amazon.

Does anyone know it? Should I buy it? Richter's carries it.

[rancho_gordo]

As long as you're going for it, try huazontle too. It's one of those things I never see in stores here but tend to eat a lot of in Mexico. And papaloquelite, if you want to make a proper cemita sandwich.

[sparrowgrass]

I am in zone 5b/6a (warmer than you), and it is way too late in the year for growing chiles or tomatillos from seeds here--you should have started them indoors 6 weeks ago. Chiles especially take a long time to mature--I don't think you have a chance with seeds this year. If you have already ordered them, no worries--they will be good next year. But for this year, buy some plants.

I have never grown epazote, but cilantro is a snap, comes up and matures quickly. Plant some every couple of weeks til the end of summer to keep a fresh supply.

You can indeed buy a bag of dried beans and plant them. If they are from a a place with good turnover, they will be fresh and will grow just fine.

I am a Master Gardener--sometimes I know what I am talking about.

[CaliPoutine]

I had trouble growing cilantro in SW Ontario. It never took off. Its so cheap at Food Basic I never bothered again. I only have a balcony now( vs. a yard when I was in Ontario) and I wouldnt bother wasting a precious space now with Cilantro. Especially when I can get it for 25 cents a bunch at the Mexican markets.

[Darienne]

As long as you're going for it, try huazontle too. It's one of those things I never see in stores here but tend to eat a lot of in Mexico. And papaloquelite, if you want to make a proper cemita sandwich.

Had to Google three words that time. Needless to say, Richter's doesn't carry the two herbs. We have a very, very small Mexican/Hispanic/Latino population in Canada and thus it's hard to get most things.

And furthermore, I have just been informed that I am too late to grow a number of things unless I buy them in plant form. Richter's does carry Mexican oregano and Tomatillos in plant form, but all the rest is seeds.

As Sparrowgrass would know, we can't put anything in the ground here until June 1st. Oh well, next year....

[brianl]

Darienne

In the past, I have purchased my pepper plants at Richters, Humber Nurseries and a small place called Giardinos. Giardinos was near Richters, and carried a very large variety of heirloom tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. Unfortunately, they will not be selling plants this year, so they are out.

Humber Nurseries will probably be my go-to this year. Their varieties of peppers seems to vary from year-to-year, but I have purchased jalapeno, serrano, tomatillo, cayenne, and poblano plants (as well as some ornamentals) in the past. N.B. - in 2009 they did not have poblanos, which sent me to Richters and then we stumbled on Giardinos. I didn't even bother looking at Humber in 2010, but will end up turning to them again this year. I'll hopefully be up before the weekend and will report back with what I find, if it interests you.

Hope this helps,

Brian

[Darienne]

Darienne

In the past, I have purchased my pepper plants at Richters, Humber Nurseries and a small place called Giardinos. Giardinos was near Richters, and carried a very large variety of heirloom tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. Unfortunately, they will not be selling plants this year, so they are out.

Humber Nurseries will probably be my go-to this year. Their varieties of peppers seems to vary from year-to-year, but I have purchased jalapeno, serrano, tomatillo, cayenne, and poblano plants (as well as some ornamentals) in the past. N.B. - in 2009 they did not have poblanos, which sent me to Richters and then we stumbled on Giardinos. I didn't even bother looking at Humber in 2010, but will end up turning to them again this year. I'll hopefully be up before the weekend and will report back with what I find, if it interests you.

Hope this helps,

Brian

It does and where is Humbers? I can google it and hope it's not too near Toronto or west of.

ps. I cannot believe the heck I just went through to finally find out that Humbers is in Brampton. No way.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[brianl]

I guess it depends on your definition of Toronto.

It's in the north-west corner of the 'GTA' (Greater Toronto Area for those not familiar).

Humber Nurseries Ltd.

8386 Hwy. 50,

Brampton, Ontario

L6T 0A5

Not sure about posting links here, so Google 'Humber Nurseries' and you should be good.

If you're not averse to using the 407 (toll highway, again, for those not familiar), it would be about 2 hours from Peterborough, so long as you avoid peak times.

I'll try and get there before the weekend and report back.

Brian

[sparrowgrass]

I don't know anything about Toronto, but some of our big nurseries and garden stores carry an amazing variety of plants--even a big Wal-Mart or Lowes might have at least some of the plants you are looking for. I am thinking Anaheims, serrano and tomatillos, in particular would be easy to find here, anyway. Sometimes health/natural food stores carry some plants in the spring, too.

I am worried about this problem--when someone gets the gardening bug, I hate to see it thwarted!!

[Jaymes]

I had trouble growing cilantro in SW Ontario. It never took off. Its so cheap at Food Basic I never bothered again. I only have a balcony now( vs. a yard when I was in Ontario) and I wouldnt bother wasting a precious space now with Cilantro. Especially when I can get it for 25 cents a bunch at the Mexican markets.

We lived in Panama for a number of years, and cilantro grew wild everywhere, most certainly including our yard. I figured I'd have no trouble growing it in Central Texas and I planted some when we lived in Austin.

But Central Texas in the summer is much hotter than it ever gets in Panama, so none of my cilantro made it through. It all burned up in the heat. I gave up on growing it after that first year. For one thing, it's so easy to find. Obviously, Texas has a huge Mexican influence so our mainstream grocers carry it, but it's also very popular in several Asian cuisines. If you can't find it in Mexican markets up there, you might give Asian markets a try.

Edited May 10, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[Darienne]

I don't know anything about Toronto, but some of our big nurseries and garden stores carry an amazing variety of plants--even a big Wal-Mart or Lowes might have at least some of the plants you are looking for. I am thinking Anaheims, serrano and tomatillos, in particular would be easy to find here, anyway. Sometimes health/natural food stores carry some plants in the spring, too.

I am worried about this problem--when someone gets the gardening bug, I hate to see it thwarted!!

Thanks for the encouragement, but we don't have Lowes...yet...and only a very few nurseries...like Richters...would even carry these kinds of plants. We simply don't have a very big Latin population in these h'ar parts.

[Darienne]

I had trouble growing cilantro in SW Ontario. It never took off. Its so cheap at Food Basic I never bothered again. I only have a balcony now( vs. a yard when I was in Ontario) and I wouldnt bother wasting a precious space now with Cilantro. Especially when I can get it for 25 cents a bunch at the Mexican markets.

We lived in Panama for a number of years, and cilantro grew wild everywhere, most certainly including our yard. I figured I'd have no trouble growing it in Central Texas and I planted some when we lived in Austin.

But Central Texas in the summer is much hotter than it ever gets in Panama, so none of my cilantro made it through. It all burned up in the heat. I gave up on growing it after that first year. For one thing, it's so easy to find. Obviously, Texas has a huge Mexican influence so our mainstream grocers carry it, but it's also very popular in several Asian cuisines. If you can't find it in Mexican markets up there, you might give Asian markets a try.

So Ed tried two grocery chains this morning and neither had cilantro.

[brianl]

Cilantro is often called Coriander in these parts...

[brianl]

Sorry if you already knew that, but I'm really surprised that you aren't able to find it. I would generally expect it to be in most grocery stores, even in the smaller towns. I shop fairly regularly in two grocery stores in Orillia, Ontario (not suggesting you go to Orillia to get cilantro, it's just fairly small, population about 30,000), and I can't remember any occasion they didn't have it.

Hope that helps,

Brian

[Jaymes]

Cilantro is often called Coriander in these parts...

Yes, and I've also seen it called Chinese parsley.

In addition to cilantro, you can also often find a nice selection of chile peppers at those Asian markets. Darienne, do you have Asian markets where you live? Have you tried that?

[Darienne]

DH says they carry cilantro in one of the stores...they were just out. Our Asian markets do not carry Mexican type peppers, just Asian vegetables. I've not even seen any fresh Oriental peppers.

[Darienne]

My Mexican garden seems to have shrunk now to the plants which I can purchase at Richter's in a couple of weeks: tomatillos and Mexican oregano.

No nursery in this area carries any Mexican chile peppers except for Jalapenos which you can buy any time of the year in any grocery store. If it can be worked in, we'll go to the Humber nursery in Brampton.

Thanks for all the help.

oh...if Epazote is an herb, could I not grow it indoors anyway???

[sparrowgrass]

I found one source that said you could bring a plant in for the winter. Sounds like it is a big plant--2-4 feet tall. You could probably cut it back before you bring it in to force some new growth. Seems like it also grows wild everywhere, but it does not look familiar to me. And if you start it in your garden, it reseeds itself.