Are Chili Peppers and Strawberries Companion Plants?

Chili peppers tend to be spicier when dried than when fresh.

Chili peppers are a vegetable garden staple, particularly in hot climates where mild poblanos, spicy serranos and red-hot habanero peppers thrive in the heat of the long growing season. And naturally, chili peppers lend heat and spice to a variety of dishes and condiments. from mild chili to fiery hot sauces. It's fair to say that the super-sweet strawberry is at the other end of the dinner table, and it's not a good idea to plant these strange bedfellows side by side in the garden.

Background

Chili peppers belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, which are related to vegetables such as potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes. And, not surprisingly, these ingredients are often mixed together, not just in the garden but in flavorful soups and stews. Strawberries aren't related to chili peppers; they're part of the Rosaceae family and are related to roses, peaches, apples and pears. But bottle up these berries in a jam jar spiked with some jalapeno peppers and the seemingly disparate ingredients go together well. In the garden, though, keep strawberries and peppers away from one another.

Characteristics

Strawberries are some of the most common berries grown in home gardens.

Both chili peppers and strawberries thrive in hot sun. And both like to grow in soil with good drainage and plenty of rich, organic mulch mixed in. Chili peppers are annuals, so they die back at the end of each growing season and need to be replaced the following year. Strawberries are perennials, so they can have a permanent patch in the garden and they'll reproduce year after year.

Varieties

Jalapeno peppers are among the mildest hot peppers grown.

Two of the most common types of hot peppers, cayenne and jalapeno, are low on the Scoville rating scale, which measures the intensity of capsaicin -- the chemical responsible for the heat in hot peppers. The greater the unit, the hotter the pepper. For example, green and red jalapenos rate at 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units; dried cayenne pepper imparts more intense heat at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units; and habaneros heat up to a whopping 200,000 to 300,000 Scoville units. Chili peppers can be picked and eaten at any time, but the more they ripen, the hotter they get. Naturally, strawberries have a much tamer flavor, and the fruit is sweetest when it's vine-ripened and bright red. There are hundreds of varieties of strawberries, but June-bearing strawberries are the most common type grown because they have been adapted and perform better than other cultivars that only thrive in specific conditions. This sought-after berry is grown in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada.

Other Garden Companions

Interplanting chili peppers among most garden plants helps prevent root rot in plants that are susceptible to this affliction. Chili peppers are related to tomatoes and also thrive when planted with eggplant, since all three plants share the same growing conditions. Strawberries get along with most garden plants, but they have a few foes, such as chili peppers. According to the University of Illinois Extension, strawberries shouldn't be planted in spots where nightshade vegetables -- including chili peppers -- have grown. That's because strawberries can be afflicted with a disease called verticillium wilt, which nightshade vegetables can harbor. Strawberries get along well with beans, which enrich soil with nitrogen, which also fortifies chili peppers. And neither chil ipeppers nor strawberries should be planted next to cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower.

References

• Golden Harvest Organics; Companion Planting; 2011
• Gourmet Sleuth; Chili Pepper Heat Scale; 2011
• Tropical Permaculture: How to grow chili peppers; 2011
• Purdue University Department of Agriculture; Growing Strawberries; Bruce Bordelon; December 2001
• Biodiversity Explorer; Family: Rosaceae (Rose, Peach, Apple, Pear, Loquat, Strawberry Family); Hamish Robertson
• University of Illinois Extension: Growing Strawberries