DOÑA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — There’s a special, historically bred Chile called “New Mexico No. 9.” This year, the only garden growing it is the Fort Selden Historic Site.
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No. 9 was the first Chile species developed by Fabián García, an American horticulturist, at New Mexico State University over 100 years ago. García promoted the New Mexico Chile industry and encouraged Mexican Americans to pursue horticulture. He also researched and created many other Chile cultivators, along with helping establish pecan and onion-growing industries in the state.
The site is also growing other chiles, including “the Original and Heritage Big Jim, the Original and Heritage 64, and a Jemez variety.” The overall mission is to share the story behind Chiles in New Mexico.
“Our vision for our gardens this year is to tell the story of chile in this region by growing keystone chile cultivars that have influenced the industry for well over a century,” said Ranger Michael Bailey. “This story begins with the infamous No. 9, which represents the birth of the chile renaissance here in southern New Mexico. It’s because of the No. 9 that chile is in our blood.”
There will be a variety of Chile-centric programming throughout the year. You can find more information online.