Came up in another thread, but probably no surprise here.
That just seems like shoddy quality control - incorrectly labeled packets, or incorrectly sorted seeds. I once bought tomato seeds, and one of them grew into a pepper. Surprise!
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In this case; yes.
ETA … but sometimes I just want to know how much heat to expect from a Jalepeno ( not going to happen, so I grow Fresno), or that the expected aroma will be there when I cut into my Scotch Bonnet.
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She muttered, darkly.
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Too few characters
Definitely but don’t underestimate the power of cross pollination. I still think back fondly to the summer I grew a baby bell variety next to my scotch bonnet. Hottest damn bells I ever tasted. I farm in pots on a deck so I do what I can to space them out.
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True enough!
My understanding is that this presents a problem in the next years saved seeds, and I think a reputable seed seller should be bagging flowers in time to prevent this as much as is possible.
Of course there is many a story that can be told when you are saving your own seed, or swapping with acquaintances. I am curious about what to expect from my saved Scotch Bonnet seeds this year, if I am fortunate enough to have any.
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Some of my purchased ‘tomato’ seeds grew into tomatillos. That was a pleasant surprise!
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That would be cool! I should grow tomatillos on purpose.
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This much is true, When I moved in to where I now live, there was a small (12’) tree in the front yard. Apple tree in the back yard. Amazing apples from the thing. Early on, a kid at school gives me her science project, three golden delicious apple tree saplings. Once those GD apple trees started to grow, I realized the unknown tree in front was indeed a pear tree. Had some pears. I must say it was a good day.
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My first attempt at growing shishito peppers, I was late in the game and most of the garden centers around me didn’t have any. I finally spotted a few leftover plants in an independent store, and thought I got really lucky. After about 1.5 months, and fruit was finally appearing I kept wondering why the tiny peppers were so light and yellowish. Turns out it was a banana pepper plant. 
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OMG. I love shishitos. What a bumber!
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This happened to me last year. I planted Italian pepper seeds and ended up with bells.
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Oh rats!
Uff. I can picture your shoulders sulking with disappointment. I often wait and buy plants when they’re just trying to get rid of them. So, my neighbors front load me and I back load them. Tomatillos…holy cow. 5 plants and I’ll have to give a ton away.
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These headlines are sending me!
I got peppergated this year: Bought a jalapeno start from a local high school plant sale, ended up with a nice shrubby pot of serranos. Not the worst thing, however I bought extra mason jars thinking I’d be pickling jalapenos this fall!
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The habaneros I’ve been getting lately are no more spicy than jalapenos used to be.
The jalapenos around here don’t seem to have any spice at all, the last several years.
Maybe I need to buy some seeds and start growing my own… !
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I think Shrinkrap pointed out the jalapeno dilemma. I’m in that spot. Just no way to tell if their mild of poppin’. My thai hots are looking great this year.
If you buys the seeds, they might be bells. JK, I’ve grown them from seeds for awhile now. never had consistently mild ones, though.
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So far the Fresno seedlings available around here are reliable for Fresno heat and color. Serranos are too, when I can find them, but I grow those, and various Poblano cultivars from seed. I think they are all of “Anum” species, and sprout fairly easily, making them easier to grow from seed.
Here is one opinion about the jalapeño situation.
There’s lots of words, but I focused on this bit;
" The standardization of the jalapeño was rapidly accelerated by the debut, about 20 years ago, of the TAM II jalapeño line, a reliably big, shiny, fleshy pepper that can grow up to six inches long—with little to no heat. TAM II peppers have become some of the most popular in the processing business. The 2002 paper in HortScience trumpeted TAM II’s benefits: virus resistance, absence of dark spots, longer fruit with thicker flesh, earlier maturation, and, compared to a variety of jalapeño called Grande, less than 10 percent of the spiciness. TAMs grown in one location measured in at 1620 Scoville units, while those at another came in at just 1080, which is milder than a poblano.
In conclusion, the paper’s authors wrote, “The large, low-pungency fruit of ‘TMJ II’ will make it equally suited for fresh-market and processing uses.”
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Ah, the quest for the bigger breasted chicken has hit horticulture again. First they wanted hotter, now they want bigger.
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