Overview and History
Peppers (Capsicum spp.) are an extremely diverse class of vegetables that bring flavor, color, spice, and nutritional benefits to our plates. The genus Capsicum was domesticated in Mexico and the Andean regions of South America. Human selection for culinary and aesthetic traits occurred over the last 10,000 years. Continued plant breeding for commercial markets has resulted in high-performing, uniform varieties of jalapeno, bell, snack, and poblano peppers.
Today, hot and sweet peppers are consumed on every continent and help create regionally distinct cuisine. Farmers and home gardeners alike share an affinity for this wildly diverse crop because it truly spices up our lives!
Basic Types of Hot Pepper
There are 25-30 known species of pepper, but globally we only cultivate and consume closer to five of them: C. annuum, C. chinense, C. baccatum, C. frutescens, and C. pubescens.
Capsicum annuum
Extremely diverse species produce a wide range of sweet and hot peppers in various shapes and sizes. Market classes include bell, snack, jalapeno, and poblano.
Capsicum chinense
Large plants produce extremely hot, small fruits, including “super hot” varieties of habaneros.
Capsicum baccatum
Vigorous plants produce fragrant, hot fruits of many shapes. Flowers are distinguished by a green-yellow corolla ring.
Capsicum frutescens
Produces small, hot fruits, often with more than one fruit per node. Most notable for the ‘Tobasco’ variety.
Capscium pubescens
Cold-tolerant species that produces hot, flavorful fruits distinguished by purple corollas and black seeds. Most notable for rocoto types and the ’Manzano’ variety.
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New Cultivars of Hot Pepper
There is an immense amount of hot pepper diversity thanks to pepper enthusiasts around the world. Below are a few favorites to bring character to your summer garden.
Mad Hatter F1 (C. baccatum)
Talk about a pepper that’s got it all! The funky shape of this pepper will be a great conversation starter, the fruity flavor and tiniest hint of spice will brighten your taste buds, and it’s one of the earliest Capsicum baccatum on the market! An All-America Selections Winner
Buffy F1 (C. frutescens)
A hot pepper attractive enough for an edible landscape. Extremely hot, these fiery fruits have a rating of 500,000 units on the Scoville scale. Use fresh or dried and ground as a spice. An All-America Selections Winner.
Emerald Fire F1 (C. annuum)
A gorgeous, deep green jalapeno with bacterial leaf spot resistance. This is a perfect variety for jalapeno poppers or for use in a fresh salsa. An All-America Selections Winner.
Hungarian Hot Wax (C. annuum)
With fruits that ripen through multiple shades, this early maturing, open-pollinated pepper with improved fruit shape is a visual stunner in the garden.
Padron (C. annuum)
These open-pollinated peppers are very mild when picked young but can be very hot if allowed to grow beyond a couple of inches. They’re a delight when roasted in quality olive oil and topped with flaky salt.
Roulette F1 (C. chinense)
This red habanero had to make the list because it’s a good reminder that what might look hot could, in fact, be not. An All-America Selections Winner.
Growing Hot Pepper Plants in Your Garden
Hot peppers require a bit of a green thumb, but the reward of seeing a pepper fruit turn color is well worth the effort.
Starting Pepper Seeds
- Peppers are one of the first crops that need to be sown in the spring.
- Start seeds indoors approximately 6-8 weeks before the listed last frost date. They can take up to 14 days to germinate.
- Seed Depth: 1/4 inch
- Use a heat mat and strong light to ensure that seedlings germinate uniformly and do not stretch.
- If good germination conditions are out of the question, purchasing seedlings from your local garden center is a perfect alternative. Just make sure the seedling is well rooted and doesn’t have any open flowers or fruit.
Transplanting Pepper Seedlings
- Peppers are very cold-sensitive. Only put transplants outside after the risk of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures are above 55°F.
- Gently acclimate seedlings by placing seedlings outside for a couple of days before transplanting them into the ground or containers.
- Plant Spacing: 12-18”, potentially more for vigorous hot peppers.
- Row Spacing: 24 – 36”
- Peppers grow best in full sun.
- Rotate the location of Solanaceous crops (e.g., tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant) each year. These crops are susceptible to many of the same diseases and pests. Changing the location can break disease cycles and help maintain healthy plants.
Pepper Plant Maintenance
- Support pepper plants with a trellis, cage, or stake. As pepper fruits form on the plant, they can add significant weight to the branches. Support systems will help prevent branches from breaking and encourage continued fruit development.
- Maintain adequate fertility and water levels in the soil to produce consistently high-quality fruit. Peppers benefit from supplemental nutrition.
- Peppers are self-pollinated and should set fruit without intervention.
Harvesting Peppers
- Days to maturity vary significantly depending on the species, variety, and growing conditions. A green pepper is ripe when the fruit is no longer growing; a fruit is physiologically mature when it starts to ripen in color.
- Promptly harvest fully-grown green fruits or uniformly colored fruits to avoid a reduction in additional fruit set.
- Use gloves to handle and process hot peppers.
Common Pepper Pests and Diseases
- Bacterial Leaf Spot (Xanthomonas) spreads during wet conditions and, occasionally, via seed. Symptoms appear as small lesions that often have a yellow halo. Removing infected plants and reducing moisture on foliage can help mitigate the spread.
- Phytophthora capsici is a soil-borne oomycete pathogen that can persist in soils for years. The pathogen can infect almost all plant parts, but it typically infects the crown right at the soil line, causing stem lesions, girdling, and eventual plant death. Removal of infected plant debris and rotation are best practices to avoid infection and persistence.
- Viruses can be transmitted to pepper plants by contaminated seed or insects. Purchase clean seeds, remove infected plants, and clean garden tools regularly to prevent the spread of viruses.
- Insects such as aphids, white flies, pepper weevils, tarnished plant bugs, and climbing cutworms can cause damage to the leaves and fruits of pepper plants. Regularly scout for insect levels and consider traps or pesticide applications for control.
- Blossom End Rot refers to the pre-mature maturation and rot of fruits. While the underlying cause is calcium deficiency, it is most often the results of inadequate or inconsistent watering as the plant grows.
- Sunscald is a physiological disorder that results from a lack of canopy cover. Fruits have a flat, “burnt” appearance in certain spots and often rot early. Variety selection, trellising and adequate nutrition can help prevent sunscald.
10 Hot Pepper Growing Tips
1. Select varieties that will ripen in your growing season. Some varieties of hot peppers (especially chinense and C. baccatum) can take 100+ days to ripen!
2. Are you sensitive to spicy foods? Will you actually eat these peppers? Would you like to dry them? Think about how you plan to use your peppers and choose your varieties accordingly. There are plenty of options for ornamental peppers if you’re not interested in eating them!
3. Strong Seedling == Hearty Harvest. Give your peppers a fighting chance by either purchasing strong seedlings from your local garden center or investing in a good seed-starting system at home.
4. Seedlings with fruit already on them have likely either been in the same container for too long or were stressed into flowering. If your seedling has flowers or fruit before transplanting, be sure to remove these.
5. Peppers are very cold-sensitive. Check your last frost dates in the spring before planting them outside.
6. Avoid planting your peppers too close together. Densely planted peppers will stretch and be more fragile.
7. Consider support for the plants that will bear a heavy fruit load. Cages, stakes, and trellis wire can all help in supporting a pepper plant’s growth.
8. Think about how you want to manage pests and disease throughout the season. Should you set some insect traps? Do you feel comfortable applying home pesticides? Thinking ahead will help in reducing stress (and pests) later.
9. Wait to harvest peppers until they have fully changed color (unless, of course, you want a green pepper to eat!).
10. Hot peppers contain capsaicin – which can be a skin and eye irritant. To protect yourself, wear gloves when harvesting and processing any hot peppers.
Learn More About Hot Pepper
- Grow Peppers in Your Garden by National Garden Bureau
- Hot and Spicy by All-America Selections
- Tasty Compact Vegetable Seeds to Grow by National Garden Bureau
- How to Grow Delicious Edible Plants by National Garden Bureau
- 5 Mature Sweet & Hot Peppers by All-America Selections
- Hot Pepper Heat Scale by Bonnie Plants
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The National Garden Bureau recognizes and thanks the human experts at PanAmerican Seed Co., a member of the NGB, for their authorship and contributions to this fact sheet.
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