Looking for the Fastest Growing Super Hot Peppers?
First tip: Grow the fastest growing hot peppers – there are many very hot peppers that are better for short seasons or impatient chilehead beyond the classic super hots, which need longer growing seasons. The Orange Spice Jalapeno, for example, has 80,000 Scovilles and can be grown in just 65 days, and the Lemon Spice Yellow Jalapeno shown above has 30,000 Scovilles with great flavor and burning heat.
The challenge of growing super hot peppers like the Carolina Reaper is that you need a long growing season. In short season garden zones, it's sometimes hard to get the hottest pepper plants to produce ripe pods before the first frosts hit in the fall. And, super hot pepper plants also thrive in very warm conditions, so in some areas it's hard to get the super hots to ripen before the cold weather hits. There are some hot peppers that grow faster than others, read on below.
Here's our top tips for growing some hot peppers faster:
First tip: Grow the fastest growing hot peppers – there are many very hot peppers that are better for short seasons or impatient chilehead beyond the classic super hots, which need longer growing seasons. The Orange Spice Jalapeno, for example, has 80,000 Scovilles and can be grown in just 65 days, and the Lemon Spice Yellow Jalapeno shown above has 30,000 Scovilles with great flavor and burning heat.
The challenge of growing super hot peppers like the Carolina Reaper is that you need a long growing season. In short season garden zones, it's sometimes hard to get the hottest pepper plants to produce ripe pods before the first frosts hit in the fall. And, super hot pepper plants also thrive in very warm conditions, so in some areas it's hard to get the super hots to ripen before the cold weather hits. There are some hot peppers that grow faster than others, read on below.Here's our top tips for growing some hot peppers faster:
1. Grow the Fastest Growing Hot Pepper Seeds:
Some of the fastest growing hot peppers are Jalapenos! Which is just one of many reasons to love them. We have Jalapeno seeds for several varieties including our hottest Jalapeno, the Orange Jalapeno which has 80,000 Scovilles! That's a HOT Jalapeno! It is also super fast growing, starting to produce in around 65 days! Or checkout our medium heat Yellow Jalapeno seeds, which also ripen quickly in 65 days but come in a brilliant yellow, quite a show-stopper in the garden! Or try this Hot Yellow Jalapeno which is quite hot at 30,000 Scovilles. Be sure to check out our milder (but still spicy) jalapeno seeds as well, we have several to choose from.
Serranos are also quite fast, the Serrano Tampiqueño has a Scoville heat level of 15,000 - 25,000, and starts to harvest in 78 days after transplanting into the garden.
Hatch Chile seeds and Pueblo Chile seeds are also bred to grow and produce quickly in the short growing seasons of New Mexico and Colorado. Find the hottest ones to satisfy your heat cravings. The extra-hot chile varieties including Rattlesnake, Lumbre, and Barker's Hot are some of these varieties that pack a lot of Scovilles.
The classic but very hot Orange Habaneros need a little more time, they take about 90 days after transplant to start harvesting. Put them in pots and move them indoors during cold spells to keep them producing and ripening for a longer season if you're in a short season climate with early frosts in autumn. They pack 250,000 Scovilles, so they will satisfy chileheads who like it hot.
The infamous former Guinness World Record holder, Carolina Reaper also takes longer (90 days) but packs up to 1,569,000 Scovilles – growing them in a pot to bring indoors when temperatures drop below 50˚F is also good for prolonging your growing season and harvest time.
Serranos are also quite fast, the Serrano Tampiqueño has a Scoville heat level of 15,000 - 25,000, and starts to harvest in 78 days after transplanting into the garden.
Hatch Chile seeds and Pueblo Chile seeds are also bred to grow and produce quickly in the short growing seasons of New Mexico and Colorado. Find the hottest ones to satisfy your heat cravings. The extra-hot chile varieties including Rattlesnake, Lumbre, and Barker's Hot are some of these varieties that pack a lot of Scovilles.
The classic but very hot Orange Habaneros need a little more time, they take about 90 days after transplant to start harvesting. Put them in pots and move them indoors during cold spells to keep them producing and ripening for a longer season if you're in a short season climate with early frosts in autumn. They pack 250,000 Scovilles, so they will satisfy chileheads who like it hot.
The infamous former Guinness World Record holder, Carolina Reaper also takes longer (90 days) but packs up to 1,569,000 Scovilles – growing them in a pot to bring indoors when temperatures drop below 50˚F is also good for prolonging your growing season and harvest time.
HOW TO GROW HOT PEPPERS FASTER:
Start Hot Peppers Indoors and Keep them Warm:
We recommend starting your super hot pepper seeds early indoors at least 8 weeks before the last frost date, if not earlier, so you can grow robust plants to be transplanted outdoors once the nights have warmed up and chance of frost has passed.
It's also important to use a seedling heat mat if you have a cooler indoor space in order to keep the temperature very warm for the seeds to sprout, pepper seeds germinate fastest in 80-90˚ F heat.
Grow Super Hot Peppers in Containers:
You can also grow super hots in large containers so that you can move them indoors if needed during late spring or early autumn cold spells. Super hots really don't like temperatures below 50˚ F, so moving them into a hoop house or indoors when the nights get cold can help them grow faster.
Check out our best hot peppers for pots »
Pick Faster Growing Super Hot Pepper Varieties:
We recommend starting your super hot pepper seeds early indoors at least 8 weeks before the last frost date, if not earlier, so you can grow robust plants to be transplanted outdoors once the nights have warmed up and chance of frost has passed.
It's also important to use a seedling heat mat if you have a cooler indoor space in order to keep the temperature very warm for the seeds to sprout, pepper seeds germinate fastest in 80-90˚ F heat.
Grow Super Hot Peppers in Containers:
You can also grow super hots in large containers so that you can move them indoors if needed during late spring or early autumn cold spells. Super hots really don't like temperatures below 50˚ F, so moving them into a hoop house or indoors when the nights get cold can help them grow faster.
Check out our best hot peppers for pots »
Pick Faster Growing Super Hot Pepper Varieties:
Of all the super hot peppers, two of our fastest growing is the original Red Carolina Reaper. These super hot peppers both matures starting around 90 days with the right conditions, which is faster than other super hots which can typically range from 100-120+ days to produce ripe pods. The red reaper is the former hottest pepper in the world, ranging between 1,500,000 - 2,000,000 Scoville Heat Units.
The Chocolate Trinidad Douglah 7 Pot hot pepper. This beautiful brown 2-1/2” super hot is worth growing. It needs very warm temperatures for the fruit to fully mature - but matures in around 95 days which is faster than other super hot peppers. Plants grow to 3’ tall. Hot hot hot at 1,200,000 Scovilles!
The Trinidad 7 Pot Douglah Moruga Chocolate hot pepper is a cross of Trinidad 7 Pot Douglah with Trinidad Chocolate Moruga Scorpion, and it too ripens around 95 days, a little earlier than most super hots. Crazy hot with 1,200,000 Scovilles!
The Trinidad 7 Pot Douglah Moruga Chocolate hot pepper is a cross of Trinidad 7 Pot Douglah with Trinidad Chocolate Moruga Scorpion, and it too ripens around 95 days, a little earlier than most super hots. Crazy hot with 1,200,000 Scovilles!
So if you live in a short season gardening zone, or if you just want your hot peppers sooner, grow our faster growing peppers for the best success!
Want to grow the fastest growing tomatoes to make hot salsa sooner?
Make sure to check out our Short-Season Tomatoes »
Discover lots more of our Fastest Growing Pepper Seeds »
Looking for sweet or mild peppers, too?
Check out our popular List of Peppers by Heat to find every pepper we carry listed in order of their Scoville ratings! This is a great way to taste the rainbow of heat and flavors that peppers of the world have to offer.
Happy growing!
