#PepperGate2023: the pepper scandal rocking the gardening community
Imagine nurturing your pepper plants for months, only to realize that the peppers that grew were nothing like what you expected. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality for thousands of gardeners in 2023.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about the pepper scandal rocking the country and what you can do if you’re impacted by #Peppergate.
What is #PepperGate?
PepperGate, sometimes referred to as Jalapeñogate or the Great Pepper Mixup of 2023, is a widespread issue that has impacted gardeners across the United States and beyond. The scandal centers around the mislabeling of pepper seeds, which has led to gardeners growing different pepper varieties than what they originally intended. This problem has become a significant topic of discussion in gardening forums, social media groups, and among seed suppliers.
The issue first came to light when gardeners began noticing that the peppers growing in their gardens did not match the varieties they had purchased. Instead of the expected jalapeños, poblanos, or bell peppers, they found themselves with an assortment of unexpected peppers, such as banana peppers, cayenne peppers, or even bell peppers of different colors. This unexpected result has caused widespread disappointment among gardeners who had carefully planned their gardens around specific pepper varieties.
How did this happen?
So how did this colossal mixup happen, and is it even real? It’s not uncommon to hear stories of someone receiving a seed type but having a different plant grow — but these tend to be outlier cases.
Doesn’t this happen all the time?
It is important to clarify that the occasional mixups, mislabeling, and cross-pollination of seeds, which can result in individual cases of pepper variety confusion over time, are not the causes of the widespread issue known as PepperGate.
These factors have been observed as natural occurrences within the gardening community. Still, the occasional mixup does not fully explain the magnitude and impact of the current problem.
Large-scale supplier issues
The primary cause of PepperGate is believed to be related to issues within the seed supply chain, particularly at the level of large-scale suppliers. The seed industry is highly consolidated, with a significant portion of the market controlled by a few large companies. These companies often act as wholesale suppliers, providing seeds to smaller seed companies that package and sell them under their own brand names.
It is likely that the error occurred at the wholesale supplier level, where large batches of pepper seeds were mislabeled before being distributed to various seed brands. This mislabeling was then passed down the supply chain, ultimately reaching thousands of consumers who purchased the seeds.
Large-scale mislabeling
The exact details of how the mislabeling occurred are not fully known, but it is clear that the problem affected a significant number of seed batches. Whether due to human error, miscommunication, or a breakdown in quality control processes, the result was that many gardeners received seeds that did not match the varieties they ordered.
This large-scale mislabeling has had a widespread impact, with reports of mix-ups coming from across the country. Gardeners who were expecting specific pepper varieties, such as jalapeños or poblanos, have instead found themselves growing entirely different types of peppers.
What types of peppers are affected?
PepperGate has affected many pepper varieties, causing confusion and unexpected outcomes among gardeners. Among the peppers impacted, jalapeños have been particularly affected, with reports indicating that a mix of different peppers grew instead of the expected jalapeño variety. Gardeners have discovered an assortment of peppers, including bell peppers, banana peppers, and long thin peppers (possibly cayenne), among others.
In addition to jalapeños, poblanos, known for their mild heat and distinct flavor, have been subject to the mixup, leaving gardeners with unexpected results, and certain bell pepper varieties have also been affected.
This is not exhaustive: I see posts in Facebook gardening communities popping up daily, with little consistency between the brand and exact variety. It’s clearly a pervasive issue.
It is also worth noting that the reports of pepper mixups have originated both from seeds gardeners started themselves and nursery seedlings purchased pre-started. This phenomenon spans different stages of the gardening process, encompassing both home-grown plants and commercially sourced seedlings.
What companies sent out the wrong pepper seeds?
Identifying the companies responsible for the mislabeling has proven challenging. However, several companies have been mentioned frequently in online discussions and customer reviews as potential sources of the problem. It is important to note that these mentions are based on speculation and anecdotal evidence from affected gardeners, and the companies themselves may not have confirmed their involvement.
Ferry Morse:
Ferry Morse, a well-known seed company, has been frequently mentioned in connection with the PepperGate scandal. Customers have reported receiving pepper seeds that did not grow into the expected varieties. Reviews on the company’s website and other online platforms have pointed to issues with mislabeled seeds, particularly jalapeños.
Baker Creek:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, one of North America’s largest heirloom seed companies, has also been implicated in the PepperGate scandal by some gardeners. While the company has stated that its products were not affected, numerous members of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Gardeners Facebook group have reported growing peppers that did not match the varieties they ordered.
Ball Seed:
Ball Seed, a significant wholesale seed supplier, has been rumored to be a potential source of the mislabeled seeds. As a large-scale supplier that provides seeds to various other seed companies, including Burpee, any issues at Ball Seed could have far-reaching implications.
Burpee:
Burpee, another well-known seed company, has also been mentioned in connection with the PepperGate scandal. Some customers have reported that the peppers they grew from Burpee seeds did not match the varieties they ordered. However, like other companies, Burpee has not confirmed its involvement in the issue.
How can I tell if my seeds are genuinely what I ordered?
Determining whether your pepper seeds were affected by the PepperGate scandal can be challenging, as most pepper seeds look nearly identical regardless of the variety. Unfortunately, this makes it nearly impossible to identify the specific type of pepper you have by examining the seeds themselves.
The most reliable way to determine if your seeds were mislabeled is to grow the plants and observe the characteristics of the peppers they produce. Once the plants begin to bear fruit, you can compare the size, shape, color, and other traits of the peppers to the variety you were expecting. If the peppers do not match the expected characteristics, it is likely that your seeds were part of the mislabeled batches.
What to do if your pepper seeds got mixed up and what you ordered wasn’t what grew
If you discover that your pepper seeds were mislabeled and the plants you have grown are not the varieties you expected, there are several steps you can take to address the issue:
Buy pre-started seedlings if it’s not too late
Since it’s too late in the season to start peppers from seed, consider visiting your local nursery or hardware store for already-started seedlings. Keep an eye out for any clearance sales or discounted prices that stores may offer at this stage of the growing season.
Contact the seed company for a refund
If you purchased your seeds online, you may be able to request a refund from the company you bought them from. Contact the company’s customer service department, explain the situation, and provide any documentation, such as order confirmation emails or receipts. Even if you don’t have your order number, the company should have a record of your purchase and may be willing to offer a refund or replacement.
If you purchased your seeds from a physical store, such as a hardware store or garden center, obtaining a refund may be more challenging, especially if you don’t have a receipt. However, it is still worth contacting the store to see if they can assist you.
The PepperGate scandal of 2023 has been a significant and frustrating event for many gardeners. While the exact causes of the mislabeling are still being investigated, it is clear that the issue has had a widespread impact across the gardening community.
Have you been impacted by PepperGate? Share you’re experiences in the comments!
Because I moved earlier this year, I got a late start. I am just now observing that my pasilla bajio peppers look a lot like shisito peppers. I wouldn’t mind so much, and might even look at it as an opportunity to try something new, EXCEPT pasillas are one of my very favorite peppers and you can’t get them in the grocery store (especially not in small town Mississippi).
Noooo what a bummer I have seen a lot of posts saying that they grew shishitos from mislabeled seeds. What seed brand were yours from?
My pasilla bajio peppers that I’ve been growing since March also turned out to be shishito peppers.
Bummer what seed company did you buy them from? Hopefully you enjoy the surprise shishitos
If you bought burpee carnival bell like me, you’re only going to grow diamond bell peppers. The purple beauty are hungarian hot wax and everything else is a sweet cherry pepper. Not surprised with seeds sourced from China during continued covid lockdowns and labor shortages. Just goes to show you how quickly our food systems can fail. Are commercial growers having this issue? Will bell peppers be scarce in markets? Save your own seeds folks.
It will definitely be interesting to see the downline effects. If major suppliers like Ball Seed are in fact impacted I’m sure at least some commercial farmers are having issues too.
Oh it is a thing for sure. I ordered white super hots, bhut ghost variety, and they are the possibly cayennes. But even beyond that, thyme I ordered this year wound up being pansies. What is going on?? I’ve been gardening for years and have never seen anything like this.
Definitely more widespread this year than ever. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about other seeds being mislabeled too just not nearly as often as peppers
I ordered habanero seeds from burpee. I’m not sure what kind of peppers I actually got (they may turn out to be cayenne) but they’re definitely not habanero.
I planted 3 purple cayenne in one of my beds (started from seed). One started producing peppers before the other 2. They were purple from the start and this was my first time growing cayenne so I didn’t really think much about the look of them. Until the other two started producing. The 2 late producers are definitely cayenne. The early one looks like purple jalapeño except it starts out purple and from what I have found online they should start out green. So I have no idea what this third plant is, but I have fallen in love with these violet “jalapeño’s” and now fear I shall never grow another.
Save the seeds!!! If you cover the flower bud with a little mesh bag and hand-pollinate you may be able to grow the same thing again. I got a purple cayenne that is acting slightly suspicious too the pepper is purple, but it’s thicker than cayenne and growing UP not down.
wait… purple cayenne don’t grow UP??? I’m growing some too. They’re all purple, thin, small peppers… and growing up. I’ve never grown them so I assumed it was normal!
Maybe they do then This is my first time growing them. All of my regular “red” cayennes are much thinner/bumpier and growing downward. My purple cayenne is smooth, fatter, and growing up. Maybe it’s normal
What was supposed to be purple bells are hot banana looking peppers. Seed was from Totally Tomatoes.
Thanks for sharing! What a disappointment. I hope they offered a refund.
Bought what I thought were jalapeño pepper plants in a Home Depot in California and got what I think are sweet banana peppers. So much for making salsa.
What a disappointment!
I had my own little mixup starting my pepper seeds and forgot to label my seed trays as I went along. I joked that eventually when they grew I would know which were which. After all, I at least know what varieties I started with, right? (ha!) I also started a second batch of seeds, all correctly labeled.
Fast forward to last week as I’m eyeing one group of mystery peppers that I couldn’t identify. I finally decided they looked like banana peppers, which was weird since I hadn’t grown any of those. I notice the same peppers in another part of the garden… clearly labeled “purple bell.” I contacted Eden Brothers and they said there apparently was a mixup with that batch. As things continue to grow, I’m finding that the majority of my peppers are a mystery. I have some that I still don’t know what they are!
p.s. – what the heck do you do with banana peppers?!?!
I also have one labeled “mystery pepper” from mislabeling at home
Banana peppers are awesome!! I think the most common uses are slicing them up raw (on salads, sandwiches), or pickling them.
I bought Ferry Morse mixed sweet Bell pepper seeds from either Home Depot or Manards. I think I grew Hungarian Hot wax peppers. I sent an email to Ferry-Morse. They tell me they will send me new seeds.
Well that’s not extremely helpful this late in the season but at least it’s something
I overwintered my jalapeño plants but I can’t save the seeds this year because they’re sitting next to other types of peppers and likely cross-pollinated. If I would have known about the issue, I’d have planned better!
Bummer! Is it still budding? I know some people use little mesh bags like these on buds that have not yet flowered, and then hand-pollinate to ensure that it doesn’t cross with anything: https://amzn.to/3KxrURc You can also overwinter again — some people report being able to keep pepper plants alive for up to 10 years!
Bought jalapeno and cayenne peppers but got small yellow non-hot peppers instead.
Thanks for sharing! So annoying
I bought echinacea from Burpee that turned out to be amaranth. Thought they looked weird. ♀️
My supposed poblanos are shishitos, my jalepenos are really banana peppers, and my bell peppers are some kind of weird mix of something. If these seed are coming from other countries, are they safe?
The USDA requirements for importing seeds are pretty stringent, so if a major seller was selling seeds from another country I would assume they would have been subject to USDA’s import permit requirements and phytosanitary certificate. I wouldn’t worry about it in terms of food safety.
My bell peppers are a mix of something else too. I got a few green bell peppers, some type of really hot long yellow peppers and a small round green pepper that has a little point at the end. I bought them at Walmart – Ferry Morse
I make my own hotsauce. I was counting on my burpee seed, bought at Home Depot. Bought a pack of long, red hot chillies and 2 different packs of jalapeno. What I am getting are these yellow, orange and green peppers that, are not hot.
I don’t care about the $9 I spent for the seeds. I started the seeds in February so it’s time . And now I have no hot peppers to make sauce. I hope I can buy some.
Ughhh Hopefully you can find some sort of specialty grower at the farmers market. Or Asian grocers sometimes have different types of peppers than everyday supermarkets.
I am a commercial grower. I ordered Rainbow Bell peppers and they appear to be Tabasco peppers which are very hot and look nothing like a bell pepper. These were purchased as plug plants from a commercial greenhouse so it definitely has affected more than just home gardeners. It is especially annoying when it is your livelihood.
Oh yikes, that is so not the same thing! Hope your operation is still doing well this season.
I purchased Jalapeno Early seed from Pinetree and grew out 8 plants. All of the plants are producing 5″ long, pointed tip, light green peppers that are somewhere between sweet and slightly heated. They are not Jalapenos, but also they are not Banana or Anaheim. They’re likely some type of hybrid snack pepper. I contacted Pinetree and while they did refund my purchase, they did not advise what the pepper seed is.
I ordered Sweet Californian sweet peppers and transplanted 30 seedlings only to find they are a chili pepper not yet identified. All i know is they are hot hot hot…. Haven’t complained as they are doing well and my customers love them. Only down side is i have no sweet peppers in the glass houses this year.
So glad people like them at least!!
I bought jalapeño seedlings expecting green peppers. They are actually yellow jalapeño peppers so I can still use them. First year growing peppers
It’s usually not like this Glad your peppers are similar to what you wanted.
We bought a bell pepper mix from Livingston seeds that were supposed to be a mix of green, yellow and red bells. We have some green and yellow bells, but about 35% are banana peppers and another 20% are small, round cherry peppers.
I have seen a LOT of people saying they have the small, red cherry peppers you’re talking about.
I purchased my seeds from Burpee directly. I had ordered red and yellow nibbler seedless peppers . Well as they are growing now I have a few of the nibbler shaped pepper all still green. But most are green bell peppers.
i ordered early jalapeno from seeds and such and ended up with sweet banana
i had posted earlier that i got jalapeno seeds from seeds and such but i realized i got ferry morris seeds from lowes
The USDA should get to the bottom of this… this is the kind of thing that could put farmers out of business. Imagine having a contract to deliver tons of Jalapenos and you end up with tons of banana peppers! It’s almost funny for us home growers but this could cost people their livlihoods and homes.
I planted California green peppers. My first time successfully growing green peppers from seed. 4 of the plants are growing nice green peppers. The fifth plant grew poblano looking light green/yellowish peppers. I thought it was just a misshapen green pepper but when I cut it open, it was overpowering like a hot spicy pepper. The taste was mild though. I didn’t mind as long as it was edible! My first successful garden and I love the surprises
Yea, I planted some I started and some I bought. Probably 35-40 plants and they were supposed to be green bells, rainbow bells and sweet banana peppers but I got what looks like chilies, habanero’s, some bells but two varieties. Both varieties are green but one is like the same girth but alot longer. Also every single one of my sweet banana peppers are so hot it aint funny. The bells I can live with and the chillies will make a good powder but the banana’s are a big disappointment.
I ordered a tray of Hungarian Sweet Pepper seedlings from a wholesale company in western North Carolina. I’ve gotten a mix of long yellowish, yellowish jalapeno shaped and even a longer type green bell pepper!
I bought the burpee italian pepperoncini seeds and ended up with Poblano’s. At first I was like welll maybe the first two that grew just came out a little thick and dark green but nope they are all chunky dark green guys and definitely not the skinny light green friends I was expecting.
Not peppers but I had mislabeled Northrup King tomato seed which was supposed to be Big Rainbow but turned out to be just some yellow tomato; also Burpee pole beans which were supposed to be Kentucky Wonder but were a flat Italian type variety with strings.
We bought 20 lbs of finger hot peppers to make hot giardiniera, 135 jars and not hot, so disappointing.
So i geuss im the lucky one, 6 varities of peppers are all correct.
My flamme tomato is not corect though. Best geuss is its a pinnaple variety.