From Balcony Pots to 58 Pepper Varieties: The Spicy Journey of Weingärtner Micro Farm

Every so often, you meet someone whose passion shines through every word and story they share. For Brian Weingärtner, that passion is hot peppers. Talking with him, you can feel the excitement as he describes flavours, histories, and the sheer thrill of growing something as humble yet powerful as a chile.

Brian runs Weingärtner Micro Farm, a small-scale organic farm in Maple Ridge, BC, on the  unceded traditional territories of the Katzie & Kwantlen First Nations. Since 2022, he’s steadily expanded his growing space, launching his first CSA program in 2024. What began with a few containers of peppers on an apartment balcony has blossomed into a micro farm with 58 varieties, each carrying its own story and flavour.

Growing up in New Mexico and Arizona, Brian was surrounded by chile culture. “In southern New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, red and green chiles are everywhere, it’s ingrained in you,” he recalls. When he moved to Canada, he couldn’t find the varieties he loved, so he started growing them himself. From three or four balcony plants, his collection expanded into a backyard full of peppers, and soon he was dreaming of farming on a larger scale. “I wanted to be the person who could supply chiles to people who love spicy, flavourful food and can’t find it locally,” he says.

In 2022, Brian rented his first plot, just 1/32 of an acre. By the following season, he had doubled his space and was cultivating over 58 varieties. His collection includes New Mexican classics like Big Jim and Anaheim, Peruvian ají peppers, fiery Thai and Caribbean varietals, and even ornamental “Dracula” peppers with black leaves and blood-red fruit. Some varieties were intentional, others happy accidents, like a mislabeled seed packet that produced a delicious, citrusy jalapeño cross he now calls “Jalapeño X.” For Brian, these surprises are part of the fun. “You see all this diversity, it’s amazing what peppers can do,” he says.

As his farm grew, so did his questions about how to run it as a business. That’s when he joined the Young Agrarians Business Bootcamp for New Farmers. “Cash flow was a huge aha moment,” he admits. “Budgeting, too. I didn’t realize there were loans and grants designed for farmers, real options beyond just maxing out a credit card. That changed how I think about scaling my farm.” The program also gave him tools to work through branding decisions and long-term planning, helping him envision what Weingärtner Micro Farm could become.

Brian’s curiosity stretches beyond just the peppers themselves. He experiments with companion planting, onions to repel pests, corn to provide shade, marigolds as slug traps, and borage for pollinators. His fields are dotted with flowers like zinnias and buckwheat, creating a vibrant ecosystem where peppers thrive alongside pollinators. And while his experiments often begin with curiosity, they often lead to new community connections. When he discovered Peruvian peppers might grow well in BC’s coastal climate, he reached out to a local Peruvian restaurant. Within minutes, they replied with enthusiasm, eager to feature his peppers in their traditional dishes.

From balcony pots to a CSA program bursting with flavour, Brian’s journey is about more than farming, it’s about persistence, curiosity, and the joy of sharing something you love. “It’s a rabbit hole,” he laughs. “You find one new pepper variety, and suddenly there are a hundred more you’ve never heard of.” That rabbit hole has become both a livelihood and a way of building connections through food. With each season, Brian isn’t just cultivating peppers, he’s cultivating community. And really, what better reason to farm than that?

Brian is now preparing for the next chapter of his farming journey, working with our B.C. Land Matching Team to find the right plot of land to expand his operation. With hopes of securing a new home for his chiles by the 2026 growing season, the future looks bright – and spicy. To follow his journey or get your hands on some of his peppers, you can connect with Brian on Facebook or Instagram.

INTERESTED IN THE BUSINESS BOOTCAMP?

The Business Bootcamp for New Farmers runs every fall and winter. This online, community-based program is open to all new and aspiring farmers looking to write (or rewrite) a business plan for a farm enterprise. Learn more here.

The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, with additional support from Bullitt Foundation and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.