Green chiles are usually harvested by the ton throughout southern New Mexico, concentrated in Hatch Valley to the southwest. But this year, with temperatures have been soaring well into the triple digits during the day and staying above the 80-degree mark at night.
Owner of the Hatch Chile Store, Preston Mitchell, said the season already saw almost-unheard-of harvest interruptions. On Wednesday, he said his operation was just starting to produce the pepper again after an estimated five-day pause. That’s because a cold spring slowed the development of the planted, or “seed-zone,” chiles, meaning they weren’t ready when the transplant crop was used up.
The heat stressed the plants, forcing them to expend more energy to pull water from the soil and moisture from the air. That leaves little energy for the chile plant and many that did develop suffered from tip burn when insufficient nutrients were gathered. New Mexico’s latest crop progress report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed about 25% of the green chile crop was harvested as of July 31.
Source: eu.currentargus.com
