Hot Peppers

Seed for this habanero variety was found in the Caribbean, and grows a fiercely hot pepper that is hotter than the regular orange habanero. Dried samples of Caribbean Red measured 445,000 Scoville units whereas regular habanero tested at about 260,000 Scovilles. This pepper must be used carefully, but is wonderful for salsas, marinades, and making your own hot sauce. Bright red fruits are about 1½ inches deep and 1 inch wide and have flavor with fruity overtones. 110 days to red.

This is the first yellow jalapeno pepper developed, from the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. Fruit is a beautiful golden-yellow before turning orange then red, making for a beautiful show on the compact plants. Peppers are just as hot as regular jalapenos. 70 days.

These creamy white peppers are smaller than the typical habanero, only about 1½ inches long and ½ inch across, but with the same habanero heat and distinctive fruity flavor. Expect abundant harvests of these very hot peppers. 90 days.

This early maturing banana pepper averages 9 inches in length and 1.75 to 2 inches in width. It produces a large and heavy set of peppers on a strong plant that protects the fruit. With excellent resistance to races 1-3 of bacterial leaf spot, you have a better chance of harvesting a large crop. 3,000 to 6,000 scoville units of pungency. Great for soups, stews, salsa, grilling and for a deli style sandwich. 70 days.

This ornamental pepper variety is the very essence of purple and makes a beautiful and colorful accent in the landscape or tucked into containers. Plants grow 10 to 14 inches tall and nearly as wide with deep amethyst fruit, stems, and flowers. Small, 1 inch peppers appear first as dark purple, then turn orange and finally mature to bright red. 85 days.

A traditional serrano heirloom that has three times more heat than an average jalapeno. However, the heat value is variable from plant to plant and it tends not to overpower your food, although it can be very hot. Fruit are 3 to 4 inches in length and change from green to red while maturing. Good for salsa, sauces and soups. 75 days.

This is a tiny pea-shaped chile that is no more than ¼ inch long and wide. This variety grows wild throughout Mexico and some parts of the Southwestern U.S. They are among the hottest peppers available, measuring about 100,000 Scoville units. The plants can grow to 4 feet and are capable of living for years where the climate allows. 95 days.

Also known as the common bird pepper, this is the tiny ovoid form that is about the size of a pea. Extremely hot, the sensation reportedly disappears rapidly. Plants are prolific, growing wild in parts of the southern U.S. 90 days.

Fiery orange habanero type with 180,000 Scoville units and fruity taste matures 2 to 3 weeks earlier than open-pollinated habaneros. The peppers are also huge at 3 inches long and set in abundance on strong plants. 85 days.

This very productive version of NuMex 6-4 offers 6 to 7 inch thick-fleshed peppers that turn from green to red. They are relatively mild in flavor and ripen earlier than most other peppers of this type. 65 days.

Excellent production, flavor, and size make this serrano-type pepper great for the home gardener as well as commercial production. Firm, large peppers are uniformly straight with a solid core and hold up well even after picking. Fairly compact plants yield an early harvest and are highly resistant to Potato Y virus. 75 days.

This chili pepper is different from others in its class, sporting 6 to 9 inch fruit that mature green to red and taper to a point, reminding us of its namesake – Texas Longhorn cattle. Pungency reaches 10,000 to 20,000 Scoville units, offering a punch for those who like it hot, and flavor just right for salsa. Plants grow to 40 inches and will require staking due to heavy yield potential. Does well in hot climates. 85 days.