Ha Thanh Nhan, 32 years old, was born in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the USA since he was 10 years old.

Although the weather is not suitable for varieties of Vietnamese plants, based on his childhood memories in the hometown, Nhan still decides to grow a lot of fruit trees in his home garden. “Sometimes, I can only eat one fruit all year round but I still like planting. It reminds me of my childhood in Vietnam", he shared.

Ha Thanh Nhan has grown and conquered more than 500 different types of chili in the world, including the ones known to be the hottest. Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

One of the plants he grows the most in his garden (about 300 m2) is chili. Every time he harvests, he shares pictures of all kinds of chili on Vietnamese tree planting groups, which makes everyone so impressive.

Growing all kinds of chili

"I started growing chili 3 years ago. At first, I only planted a few normal kinds for eating. After growing and researching, I found many beautiful kinds of chili. I have only heard about the hottest one and have not seen anyone grow it. That's why I wanted to plant some little-known chili peppers. Since then, I grow 50-100 different types annually. It brought me from curiosity to passion for the chili of the world. I have grown many kinds of chili from all 5 continents and had the opportunity to experience the taste of them," Nhan said.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

He grows from 50 to 100 different varieties each harvest to keep the variety and learn more about them. Up to now, he has grown and known more than 500 different types of chili. In his collection, there are 2,000 - 3,000 different types in the world. In addition to collecting, he also self-breeds to create new types of chili.

“The peppers I grow include famous ones like the Carolina Reaper which is known to be the hottest one in the world. Another one is the Chocolate Bhutlah chili, which is less known, but as far as I know, it is spicier than the Carolina Reaper. Pumpkin Habanero is so cute because it looks like a pumpkin. Giant White Ghost Scorpion is a white chili kind with very large fruit and high spiciness. Sweet peppers like Apple Crisp can be eaten as fruit. Besides, there is Sugar Rush Peach, Peachadew, which belong to the sweet chili family…”, he talked about the famous chili varieties that he conquered in his garden.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

The garden with full of fruit trees and flowers

“Growing trees in the state of Oklahoma is very difficult. The weather here is quite erratic. Winter starts from November to March with a lot of snow and even hail. In the summer, the weather is also very hot, the temperature sometimes reaches more than 40 degrees Celsius with little rain. It is necessary to spread a net to prevent the plants from heat and to water the plants more often," shared Nhan.

His growing season begins in mid-March, when he sows the seeds indoors under grow lights. The seedlings after germinating will be planted indoors until early May. When it is warm, Nhan will take them out to plant.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Photo: Ha Thanh Nhan.

Besides chili, Nhan also grows many kinds of flowers such as roses and dahlias. As for vegetables, he grows different types of vegetables, including flying saucer squash, long star gourd, pear, crispy persimmon, jujube, peach, etc. Every day, it takes Nhan at least 3-5 hours to care the garden. The process of watering for each day takes 1-3 hours.

“It's been a long time since I've been away from my hometown. I'm fond of planting acerola, plums and guava, which give me the feeling of being in my hometown. In the state where I live, it is very difficult to grow some Vietnamese fruit trees because the weather is not suitable. Next winter, you have to bring it into the house or have a greenhouse to make sure the plants alive. “Sometimes, I can only eat one fruit all year round but I still like planting. It reminds me of my childhood in Vietnam", he shared.

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