HOT/CHILI PEPPER

VARIETY: Carolina Cayenne, Jaloro Jalapeño, Early Jalapeño, Park’s Whopper Jalapeño, Long Thin Cayenne, Sargento, Tabasco, Super Thai, Padron, Holy Mole

BLOOM COLOR: white/light yellow

FOLIAGE COLOR: green

VEGETABLE COLOR/SIZE: varies depending on variety, green, dark green, or red

BOTANICAL NAME: Capsicum annuum

ANNUAL OR PERENNIAL?: annual

WARM SEASON OR COOL SEASON?: warm season; not frost-tolerant

PLANT SIZE: 2 to 4 feet high and 2 feet wide

LIGHT NEEDS: at least 6 hours of full sun per day - but peppers are actually happy with dappled sunlight for part of the day to avoid sunscald

WATER NEEDS: normal (about an inch of water total per week) - peppers do well if you let the soil almost dry out between waterings

FERTILIZER NEEDS: heavy (either a balanced or a higher phosphorus content fertilizer about twice a month)

IDEAL SOIL CONDITIONS: warm, well-drained, fertile soil - peppers do best in soil that drains quickly; if you plant in clay soil, amend with plenty of compost ahead of planting

PLANT SPACING FOR TRANSPLANTS: 12 inches in rows that are 36 inches apart; in beds = 18 inches apart; Square Foot system = 1 plant per square

PLANT SUPPORTS NEEDED?: potentially - you can use tomato cages or a stake if needed

 

WHEN TO PLANT OUT: after all danger of frost has passed

CAN IT BE PLANTED IN A CONTAINER?: yes, the smaller-fruited varieties are appropriate for containers

DURING GROWTH: if daytime temperatures are above 90 F or if nighttime temperatures are below 60 F the blossoms may drop off of the plant

WATCH FOR THESE PESTS/DISEASES: climbing cutworms, aphids, spider mites, flea beetles, hornworms, anthracnose, bacterial leaf spot, blossom end rot, sunscald (too much sun)

TIME TO HARVEST: 60 to 80 days from transplant

HARVESTING: regular harvesting when fruit is ripe or nearly ripe can encourage more production; the riper the pepper is, generally the hotter it will taste - CAUTION: avoid contact with eyes and mucosal membranes while harvesting or preparing hot peppers!