Des Moines Register
08-04-07
Hot Stuff!
Sean and Becki Sullivan can bring the heat. They raise 15 varieties of chili
peppers, and their salsas are celebrated.
By TOM PERRY
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Sean Sullivan cringes every time he hears the old tale.
"They say we can't grow hot chili peppers in Iowa because of our moist
environment," he says.
Sullivan will tell you he has proof that there's as much heat to be found in chili
peppers here in Iowa as anywhere else - including New Mexico.
Chili peppers and tomatillos thrive in his Dallas county backyard.
Fifteen chili pepper varieties, including habanero, jalapeno, ancho and New
Mexican, grow with such ferocity and fire that the Sullivans own what might be
the state's most robust salsa garden.
This summer, Sean and Becki Sullivan are celebrating 10 years of producing
Juan O'Sullivan's Gourmet Salsa, a product they sell every Saturday at Des
Moines' Downtown Farmers Market and several local markets.
Earlier this year, the Sullivans' Salsa de Mesa (table salsa) sauce was featured in
Chile Pepper magazine.
"We like being able to say honestly that we grow all of our own chili peppers,"
Sullivan said.
"Sean grows really good chili peppers," said Jack Martinez, 71, a native of
southern Colorado who moved to Des Moines in 1962.
Martinez's knowledge of chili peppers runs deep. His grandfather owned two
farms in northern New Mexico, where some of the world's best chili peppers are
grown.
He said he waits eagerly for this time of year, which is when Sullivan begins
harvesting his chili peppers.
Of Sullivan, Martinez says, "He really does know what he's doing."
Sullivan said he's fortunate because he believes he has a knack for gardening.
"As a kid out in Adel, my mom used to make me go in the garden with her, and I
always hated it," he said.
"Now I think it's kind of funny how things happen, because I became a very
passionate horticulturist pretty quickly."
Sullivan plunged into books on growing chili peppers and consulted experts.
Today, he gets invited to seminars to discuss growing peppers and still follows
the industry closely. "I still learn something every day," he said.
The Sullivans began growing peppers and other vegetables for their own use in a
20-by-40-foot cutout about 16 years ago, soon after they moved to their rural
subdivision outside of Cumming.
Their home sits on 1.35 acres. The space is productive - 750 pepper plants grow
on 6,000 square feet carved out of the backyard.
"The demand for the salsa drove the horticulture," Sullivan said. "Fortunately, we
can grow a helluva lot of chili in this space."
Yes, the growing season is shorter here than in New Mexico, but the Sullivans
get busy in March.
"I start 1,200 plants from seed around St. Patrick's Day, and by the second week
of May, depending on the weather, we are hardening them and getting them in
the ground," Sullivan said.
Beginning in late July or early August, peppers will be dangling off plants for
approximately 10 weeks. Sullivan is convinced Iowa's rich soil allows him to grow
"twice as much chili on like plants as they can in New Mexico."
He has enough peppers to store, so he can use them through the winter.
"On a good weekend at the farmers market, I would say we sell a couple of
hundred pounds of chili," Sullivan said.
To stay knee-deep in chili peppers, it helps to be well-organized.
"I map my garden, and as I'm planting, I make notes so I will know where
everything is," he said, producing detailed drawings of the four separate gardens
in his backyard.
It also helps to pay close attention to detail.
Sullivan said it would be difficult to grow peppers on a large scale using the
methods he uses.
"I'm possibly not a template for reality in the chili business," he said. "I baby them
so much. Every plant is irrigated, and I can maximize production in a limited
amount of space the way I do it."
Danise Coon, program coordinator at New Mexico State University's Chile
Pepper Institute, said chili pepper experts know that, with care, peppers can be
grown almost anywhere. Many people underestimate the chili pepper's durability.
Dan Burden, program coordinator at Iowa State University's Agricultural
Marketing Resource Center, said it is impossible to know how many chili
pepper salsa gardens are being grown in Iowa.
He said people who feel comfortable around plants will find "peppers are pretty
hardy, far hardier than tomatoes."
Because it is their mission to celebrate Iowa-grown produce, the Sullivans also
grow tomatillos, often called the Mexican green tomato.
Growing produce in Iowa is rewarding, Sullivan said, "even though there's not a
lot of money in this business after you figure the hours, the frustration and the
fuel costs."
He feels especially satisfied during farmers market season.
"To me, there is nothing better than taking off for the farmers market on Saturday
at 6 a.m., and smelling a fresh chili load in my old Volvo wagon."
Reporter Tom Perry can be reached at (515) 284-8224 or tperry@dmreg.com