Ghost Pepper
Capsicum chinense
A wrinkly pepper with record-breaking heat!
Widely cultivated in Northeast India, this incredibly hot pepper is also known as bhüt jolokia, meaning “Bhutanese pepper.” In Assamese, the near-homonym bhut means “ghost,” hence the playful moniker–and at over one million Scoville heat units, your tastebuds might be left feeling ghostly as well! The flavor begins fruity and sweet, building to a slow, long burn. Use caution when handling the seeds and prepping for meals! A favorite of hot sauce enthusiasts, give this pepper plenty of time to grow and mature: promptly sow in time for transplanting when the weather warms.
$3.99
| Unit | Price | Quantity | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Seeds / Organic | $3.99 | In Stock |
Price as selected:
Pepper seed requires heat to germinate; it just won't do much in cool soil. So the first trick is to find a spot that is steadily warm; usinag a heat mat is ideal, but above the fridge may work, as might a spot near the woodstove. Sow pepper seeds at least 6-8 weeks before your last frost date; they mature later in the season than tomatoes, and to get a good crop of ripe peppers requires an early start. (If you prefer green peppers, you've got more flexibility.) Sow peppers about a quarter-inch deep in soil blocks or plug trays. Give them a good ten to fourteen days to germinate before thinking of giving up on them. Once up, peppers grow quite slowly when young and, again, require warmth to grow quickly. Peppers should not be transplanted until the weather is settled, usually about two weeks after tomatoes go in. Space them about 18" apart. Row cover provides a warm microclimate for quicker growth. Although most pepper plants stay much smaller than tomato vines, their stems are weak and, when loaded with fruit, they tend to blow over in late summer storms. They can easily be staked to prevent this.
| Days to Germination | 7 to 35 days |
|---|---|
| Days to Maturity | 120 days from transplant |
| Planting Depth | ½ inch |
| Height at Maturity | 24 inches |
| Width at Maturity | 18 inches |
| Sun Preference | Full Sun |