Pepper (sweet and chili)

Capsicum annuum (most sweet and chili types); habanero and Scotch bonnet are C. chinense, Tabasco is C. frutescens · Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	tender perennial (grown as an annual)
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Soil pH	6.0–7.0
Spacing	18 to 24 inches
Days to harvest	70 to 85 days
Soil temperature to plant	at least 60°F

About Pepper (sweet and chili)

Peppers include mild types like bell, banana and pimento and hot types like jalapeno, cayenne and habanero. They are slow, warmth-loving plants that reward a sunny spot with a long run of pods from midsummer to frost. The heat in chilies comes from capsaicin, concentrated in the pale membrane inside the pod.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone; it is killed by frost, so plant it out after the danger of frost has passed. Plants sulk and drop blossoms when nights fall below about 60F or days pass 90F.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Start seeds indoors: 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost
Set out plants: 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost

Days to harvest count from transplanting (about 100 to 120 days from seed). Set plants out once nights stay above 50F; seed comes up slowly in cool soil.

Soil

Well-drained loam or sandy loam; avoid heavy nitrogen, which gives big leafy plants that are slow to set fruit.

Follow a soil test; aim for pH 6.0 to 6.5, work in compost or well-rotted manure, and till any pre-plant fertilizer about 6 inches deep.

Feeding

3 to 4 weeks after setting out transplants: nitrogen fertilizer such as calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). Spread about 1/2 lb per 100 sq ft (about 30 ft of row) 4 to 6 inches from the plants and water it in, rinsing any granules off the leaves.
3 to 4 weeks after the first feeding: nitrogen fertilizer such as calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). Repeat the same amount, 4 to 6 inches from the plants, and water it in.

Too much nitrogen gives bushy, leafy plants that are slow to bear; skip extra phosphorus unless a soil test calls for it.

Harvest

Pick when pods reach full size and the walls feel firm, or leave them on to turn red, yellow or orange. Jalapenos are picked when they turn black-green. Cut the stem instead of pulling so branches do not snap.

Peppers keep flowering and setting new pods as long as you keep harvesting, from about July until frost kills the plant; cut pods off with shears so branches don't snap. They are frost-tender perennials grown as annuals, so before a killing frost pull whole plants and hang them upside down in a garage or other sheltered spot to finish ripening the last pods.

Varieties (82)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
Mad Hatter	Bishop's crown type (Capsicum baccatum, hybrid)		Mild. It earned the top flavor score (5 out of 5) in a University of Wisconsin trial. Odd, flattened three-cornered 'bishop's crown' shape; fruit were about 1.5 in across in the Wisconsin trial and ripen red. UT Gardens calls the harvest impressive.
Shishito	Frying pepper (Japanese)		Mostly mild, but an occasional pod can be hot (about 50 to 2,500 Scoville units). Small, thin-walled frying pepper, similar to Padrón.
Padrón	Frying pepper (Spanish)		Mostly mild, but some pods can be very hot (about 50 to 2,500 Scoville units). Elongated, thin-fleshed frying pepper about 2 inches long, from Spain.
Habanada	Heatless habanero (Capsicum chinense)		No heat; habanero aroma that mellows into fruity sweetness. Light green fruit ripen to bright orange. Needs a long, warm season; Cornell suggests a high tunnel in the North.
Roulette	Heatless habanero (Capsicum chinense, hybrid)		Habanero fruitiness with almost no heat. Looks like a red habanero; fruit were about 1.5 in in a Wisconsin trial. UT Gardens calls it very productive.
Datil	Hot (Capsicum chinense)		About as hot as a habanero (100,000-300,000 Scoville units), with a sweet, fruity tang. Small fruit, 1/2 to 4 in long, that ripen from green to orange. Plants grow 1.5 to 5.5 ft tall.
Tabasco	Hot (Capsicum frutescens)	95 days	Very hot; about 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units. Small, slim pods 1 to 3 inches, yellow ripening to red, held upright on the plant.
Mexibell	Hot bell (hybrid)	58 days	Mildly pungent; Oregon State puts hot bells at about 500 to 4,000 Scoville units. Three-lobed bell, green ripening to red, on plants about 26 inches tall. Resistant to TMV.
Charleston Hot	Hot cayenne		Very hot. Open-pollinated, vigorous, high-yielding cayenne on plants about 18 inches tall. Fruit ripens from yellow-green to gold, orange and then deep red. Resistant to southern root-knot nematode.
Cherry Bomb	Hot cherry (hybrid)	65 days	About 20 percent less heat than a jalapeño. Round, hanging fruit about 1.5 inches across, green ripening red, on compact plants; very early and high yielding. Resistant to TMV.
Hot Sunset	Hot wax / banana (hybrid)		Moderately spicy; AAS lists about 650 Scoville units. It scored 4 out of 5 for flavor in a Wisconsin trial. Long banana-shaped fruit about 7 in long that ripen to orange-red; heavy harvest in the Wisconsin trial. Cornell lists resistance to bacterial leaf spot and tomato spotted wilt virus.
Lemon Drop	Hot, aji type (Capsicum baccatum)		Hot with a citrus flavor. An aji-type C. baccatum pepper.
Aji Rico	Hot, aji type (Capsicum baccatum, hybrid)		Citrusy with medium heat. It scored 3.5 out of 5 for flavor in a Wisconsin trial. Narrow, cone-shaped fruit about 3 in long that ripen from green to red; abundant harvest in the Wisconsin trial.
Long Red Cayenne	Hot, cayenne	65 to 75 days	Very hot; about 35,000 Scoville units. Long, slender, wrinkled, thin-walled pods (5 to 6 inches) that ripen from dark green to bright red.
Fresno	Hot, Fresno chile		Hot. Smooth, cone-shaped light green fruit about 1-2 in long, held pointing up on vigorous plants 2-2.5 ft tall with dense, dark leaves. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
Habanero	Hot, habanero (Capsicum chinense)	90 to 100 days	Extremely hot; about 200,000 to 300,000 Scoville units. Small, wrinkled, lantern-shaped pods, about 2 inches long, green ripening to orange.
Scotch Bonnet	Hot, habanero type (Capsicum chinense)		Very hot (Oregon State gives 100,000 to over 1,000,000 Scoville units for this group) with a fruity, tropical aroma. Hanging (pendant) pods. Needs warm conditions; Oregon State says this species is hard to grow outdoors in cool climates without plastic mulch or a greenhouse.
Fish	Hot, heirloom (variegated leaves)		Hot. Leaves are streaked green and white. Hanging fruit about 2.5 in long start cream with green stripes, turn orange with brown stripes, then solid red. Handles heat and drought and grows well in pots.
Jalapeño	Hot, jalapeño	65 to 75 days	Hot; about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units. Thick-walled, cylindrical pods about 3 inches long, green ripening to red. Common open-pollinated strains include 'Early Jalapeño' and 'Jalapeño M'.
Emerald Fire	Hot, jalapeño (hybrid)		Full jalapeño heat; AAS lists about 2,500 Scoville units fresh. It scored 4 out of 5 for flavor in a Wisconsin trial. Large, bullet-shaped jalapeños, dark green ripening to red; abundant harvest in the Wisconsin trial.
Mucho Nacho	Hot, jalapeño (hybrid)	72 days	A little hotter than most jalapeños; Iowa State lists 2,500-5,000 Scoville units. Long, thick-walled jalapeños about 4 in long, green ripening to red, on very vigorous, high-yielding plants.
Hot Portugal	Hot, long red	64 to 85 days	Very pungent. Thick-walled, tapered fruit about 6 inches long, shiny dark green ripening to deep crimson, on tall upright plants.
Cayennetta	Hot, mild cayenne-type chile (hybrid)	69 days	Mildly spicy. Red, tapered chili about 3-4 in long on upright, compact plants that need no staking. Good for containers and patios.
Mariachi	Hot, mild chile (hybrid)		Vigorous plant with large, thick-walled pods about 4 inches long that ripen from yellow to red.
TAM Mild Jalapeño	Hot, mild jalapeño	70 to 85 days	About one-third the heat of standard jalapeños. Compact, open-pollinated plant with thick-walled pods; resistant to several viruses and tolerant of Phytophthora root rot.
Anaheim	Hot, New Mexican / Anaheim (mild)	75 to 80 days	Mild; about 1,000 to 5,000 Scoville units. Long, tapered pods about 7 inches, dark green ripening to red.
NuMex Big Jim	Hot, New Mexican chile	85 days	Medium heat; about 6,500 Scoville units. Very long, thick, flattened pods (about 7 to 8 inches).
Sandia	Hot, New Mexican chile		Hot for a New Mexican type; about 6,500 Scoville units. Long, medium-wide pods on plants 2 to 2.5 feet tall; earlier than older New Mexico types.
Black Pearl	Hot, ornamental		Spicy and edible. Glossy black leaves and upright clusters of small round fruit (about 0.6 in) that turn from shiny black to red. Plants about 18 in tall and 12 in wide, taller in warm regions; handles heat and humidity.
Super Chili	Hot, ornamental chile (hybrid)	75 to 90 days	Pungent. Compact plant with small upright pods (about 2 inches) that turn green, orange, then red.
Holy Molé	Hot, pasilla (hybrid)	85 to 105 days	Pasilla-type chile used for mole sauce.
Ancho / Poblano	Hot, poblano (mild)	68 to 90 days	Mild; about 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville units. Heart-shaped pods 3 to 4 inches wide and 4 to 7 inches long, very dark green ripening to dark red-brown.
Hidalgo Serrano	Hot, serrano	85 to 90 days	Serranos run about 7,000 to 25,000 Scoville units; Hidalgo is milder than typical serranos. Compact, open-pollinated plant with blunt-ended pods; resists several viruses and tolerates leafminers and pepper weevil.
Carolina Reaper	Hot, superhot (Capsicum chinense)		Extreme heat; averages about 1.64 million Scoville units. Superhot chinense type; Oregon State lists it as a ghost pepper x habanero cross.
Thai Hot	Hot, Thai	75 days	Extremely hot. Small pods point upward and turn from green to red.
Thai Dragon	Hot, Thai type	60 to 90 days	Very hot; UC Santa Cruz rates it about five times hotter than a jalapeño. Heavy crop of thin-walled red peppers about 2-3.5 in long that dry quickly, on small, bushy plants.
Hungarian Wax	Hot, wax type	58 to 85 days	Medium hot; wax peppers range from about 1,000 to 15,000 Scoville units. Long (about 8 inch) tapered fruit that turns from waxy yellow to crimson. An heirloom.
El Jefe	Jalapeño (hybrid)	67 days	Jalapeño ripening green to red. Maryland lists resistance to bacterial leaf spot (races 0 to 3, 7, 8) and PVY, and tolerance to cucumber mosaic virus.
Señorita	Mild jalapeño	80 to 90 days	Very mild. NC State's cultivar list puts it under 600 Scoville heat units in most conditions. Blunt jalapeño-type pods about 3 in by 1 in, dark green ripening to red. Resistant to tobacco mosaic, tobacco etch and pepper mottle viruses.
Española Improved	New Mexican chile		About 2,500 Scoville units. Open-pollinated New Mexican type with pods about 6 inches long; matures early.
NuMex Joe E. Parker	New Mexican chile (mild)		Mild, about 900 Scoville units. Open-pollinated, high-yielding New Mexican type, more uniform than New Mexico 6-4; green pods ripen red. Resistant to TMV.
Tiburon	Poblano / ancho	85 days	Mild, about 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville units for poblanos. Heart-shaped poblano pods about 3 to 4 inches wide and 4 to 7 inches long.
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)	Superhot (Capsicum chinense)		Extremely hot. Superhot chile grouped with habanero types; Oregon State notes Capsicum frutescens in its background. Like other C. chinense peppers, it needs warm conditions.
Sweet Sunset	Sweet banana (hybrid)		Sweet; it won the taste test at one AAS trial site. Banana-type fruit that ripen from light yellow to orange-red on a compact plant.
California Wonder	Sweet bell	68 to 89 days	Large, blocky, thick-walled bell that ripens from glossy deep green to red.
Jupiter	Sweet bell	70 to 75 days	Large, blocky, mostly four-lobed fruit, medium green turning red. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
Keystone Resistant Giant	Sweet bell	75 to 78 days	Large green-to-red bell.
Yolo Wonder	Sweet bell	75 days	Blocky green bell that ripens red.
Purple Beauty	Sweet bell (colored)		Compact plants with medium, thick-walled bells that turn dark purple, then red.
Ace	Sweet bell (hybrid)	50 to 70 days	Small to medium bell with 3-4 lobes, green ripening to red. Sets fruit well in cool weather and yields heavily.
Aristotle	Sweet bell (hybrid)	70 days	Large to extra-large blocky bell with thick walls, green ripening red. Resistant to bacterial leaf spot (races 1 to 3), PVY and tobamoviruses.
Bell Boy	Sweet bell (hybrid)		Early, large, mostly four-lobed bell with thick walls, green ripening red. Resistant to TMV.
Big Bertha	Sweet bell (hybrid)	70 days	Very large, four-lobed, thick-walled bell, deep green ripening to red, with good leaf cover.
Camelot	Sweet bell (hybrid)	74 to 75 days	Large, square, four-lobed fruit about 5 by 4 inches, thick-walled, dark glossy green ripening red, on upright plants. Resistant to TMV; Mississippi also lists bacterial leaf spot.
King Arthur	Sweet bell (hybrid)	79 days	Green-to-red bell.
North Star	Sweet bell (hybrid)	50 to 70 days	Medium to large, blocky bell with 3-4 lobes that ripens red. Very productive; resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
Red Knight	Sweet bell (hybrid)	77 days	Large, blocky green-to-red bell. Resistant to bacterial leaf spot races 1-3 and potato virus Y.
Chocolate Beauty	Sweet bell, brown		Large, smooth bell that turns from medium-dark green to chocolate brown at full ripeness. Resistant to TMV.
Gourmet	Sweet bell, orange	85 days	Sweet. Blocky, thick-walled four-lobed bell that ripens from green to orange, on plants about 17 in tall.
Orange Blaze	Sweet bell, orange (hybrid)		AAS describes it as very sweet once fully orange. Dark green fruit that ripen to orange. Cornell lists resistance to bacterial leaf spot and tobamovirus.
Islander	Sweet bell, purple	56 to 81 days	Purple bell pepper. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
Early Sunsation	Sweet bell, yellow (hybrid)	70 days	Bell that ripens from green to yellow. Resistant to bacterial leaf spot (races 1 to 3).
Biscayne	Sweet Cubanelle (hybrid)	63 days	Prolific, smooth, large light green fruit up to about 6 by 2.4 inches, on plants about 26 inches tall with good leaf cover.
Corno di Toro	Sweet Italian	70 to 75 days	Italian-type sweet frying pepper; Kentucky groups it with Italian and Cubanelle types.
Giant Marconi	Sweet Italian (hybrid)	72 days	Kentucky notes it is good for roasting. Long, tapered red Marconi-type fruit on vigorous plants; stores well. Resistant to TMV and PVY.
Cornito Giallo	Sweet Italian bull's horn, yellow (hybrid)		Sweet and fruity. It scored 3 out of 5 for flavor in a Wisconsin trial. Bright yellow, horn-shaped fruit about 6 in long; abundant harvest in the Wisconsin trial.
Escamillo	Sweet Italian bull's horn, yellow (hybrid)		Sweet. It scored 4 out of 5 for flavor in a Wisconsin trial; a Maryland Extension grower found it meaty and good fried, roasted or raw. Golden yellow, horn-shaped fruit about 5-6 in or longer, with thick walls. Gave an abundant harvest in the Wisconsin trial.
Jimmy Nardello	Sweet Italian frying pepper (heirloom)	65 to 85 days	Sweet with a smoky note. Long, thin, wrinkled fruit 8-10 in long that ripen to a dull red. Tall, bushy plant can carry 30-40 fruit.
Pepperoncini	Sweet Italian, pepperoncini (wax type)		Mild, with no heat in NC State's listing. Bushy plants with thin-walled yellow-green fruit about 2-4 in long that ripen to red.
Mama Mia Giallo	Sweet Italian, yellow (hybrid)		Sweet. Long, tapered yellow Italian-type fruit on a compact plant. It was the highest-yielding Italian type in a 2015 University of Delaware trial.
Fooled You	Sweet jalapeño (no heat)		Tastes like a jalapeño without the heat. Tapered, medium to dark green jalapeño-shaped fruit about 3 in long. Resistant to potato virus Y.
Pretty N Sweet	Sweet mini, edible ornamental (hybrid)		Sweet. It scored 4 out of 5 for flavor in a University of Wisconsin trial. Compact plant with small cone-shaped fruit, about 1.5 in long in the Wisconsin trial, where it gave an abundant harvest.
Sweet Banana	Sweet non-bell, banana/wax	68 to 72 days	Mild and sweet. Thick-walled, bright yellow fruit that ripens toward red; good for pickling.
Cubanelle	Sweet non-bell, frying	65 days	Mild, about 1,000 Scoville heat units. Slightly tapered frying pepper with rounded ends, up to about 2 by 6 inches.
Carmen	Sweet non-bell, Italian bull's horn (hybrid)	75 days	Sweet flesh (no heat). Long, tapered fruit 6 to 10 inches, green ripening to red, with fairly thin skin.
Lipstick	Sweet non-bell, pimiento type	53 to 73 days	Sweet. Small, tapered red fruit 3-5 in long on narrow plants 15-18 in tall that can be set 9-10 in apart.
Gypsy	Sweet non-bell, wedge-shaped (hybrid)	60 to 65 days	Compact, early plant with elongated, thick-fleshed fruit that goes from pale yellow-green to red. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.
Pimiento L	Sweet pimiento	78 days	Sweet, with no heat. Conical, thick-walled fruit about 2 to 3 by 3 to 4 inches, red when ripe.
Just Sweet	Sweet snack / mini bell (hybrid)		Sweet. It had the best flavor score (4.3 out of 5) among sweet peppers in Colorado State's northern Colorado trials. Small four-lobed fruit about 1 oz each; yielded well for its size in the Colorado trials.
Lunchbox	Sweet snack pepper (hybrid)	60 to 70 days	Sweet and fruity, with no heat. Mini fruit 1-2 in wide and 1-3 in long in red, yellow or orange, on compact plants 24-36 in tall. Very productive.
Sweet Chocolate	Sweet, brown		Sweet. Early, thick-fleshed fruit that ripen from green to chocolate brown.
Tangerine Dream	Sweet, edible ornamental	70 days	Sweet, with no heat. Low, spreading plant about 1 ft tall and a little over 2 ft across, with dark green leaves. Upright cone-shaped fruit about 3 in long come in clusters of three or four and ripen from green to orange-red.

Good neighbors

Basil, Lettuce, Spinach

Extension sources pair peppers with basil and early greens mainly to use space well, not because of proven pest control.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Thrips, Corn earworm (tomato fruitworm), Cutworms, Tomato hornworm, Cabbage looper, Flea beetles, Colorado potato beetle, Leafminers, Slugs, Stink bugs, Root-knot nematodes, Eriophyid mites (rust, bud, blister and gall mites), Mole crickets, Potato psyllid (tomato psyllid), Broad mite, Rose chafer, Beet armyworm, European corn borer, Pepper weevil, Pepper maggot, Leaffooted bugs, Fungus gnats

Diseases and problems

Bacterial leaf spot, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, Cercospora leaf spot, Anthracnose fruit rot, Southern blight, Blossom end rot, Heat stress (blossom drop), Transplant shock, Too little light (leggy plants), Leaf sunburn, Magnesium deficiency, Black walnut toxicity, Ozone injury, Sunscald, Nutrient deficiency, Herbicide injury, Frost and freeze injury, Tomato yellow leaf curl, Bacterial canker of tomato, Early blight, Verticillium wilt, Powdery mildew, Bacterial wilt, Damping-off, White mold, Root and crown rot, Sooty mold, Tomato brown rugose fruit virus, Tobacco mosaic and tomato mosaic, Impatiens necrotic spot, Pepper mild mottle, Curly top, Potato virus Y, Alfalfa mosaic, Mosaic viruses

In the kitchen

Sweet peppers are eaten raw, roasted or stuffed; chilies add heat to salsas, sauces and stews and can be dried or pickled.

Keeping it: Keep unwashed peppers in the fridge crisper or a cool spot around 45-55F and use them within 1 to 2 weeks; weeks of colder storage can pit the skins.

Safety: Hot pepper juice burns skin and eyes, so wear gloves when cutting chilies. Cayenne or capsaicin supplements can upset the stomach and can interact with several medicines, including blood-pressure and anti-platelet drugs; MSKCC advises avoiding cayenne supplements while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA (its 'ornamental pepper' entry is Jerusalem cherry, a different, toxic plant).

Sources

Photo: Photo: John Stommel, USDA ARS, Public domain (USDA ARS), via Wikimedia Commons. Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.