Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
← Explore Plants
Plant · P-223
Habanero Pepper
Capsicum chinense
Habanero Pepper is a slow-maturing condiment crop, taking 120 to 150 days from seed to harvest, so it has to be started indoors in January or February and set out as an established transplant, not sown directly, to get any harvest before summer heat shuts fruiting down. Extremely hot, pungent fruit from a quarter inch to four inches is used as flavoring in savory dishes; yield is small enough to measure in jars, not pounds. Its medicinal use actually outranks its food use - the fruit is a diaphoretic, antiseptic and circulatory stimulant, used internally for fevers and digestion and externally for sprains, and it induces sweating, a genuine asset in a hot climate. It also prefers acidic soil, unlike most of its pepper relatives, so it wants a raised bed or an acidified container mix rather than being planted straight into alkaline clay.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 10–11
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moderate
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.5
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 12–30 in
- Mature spread
- 12–24 in
- Plant spacing
- 12–36 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- None
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
Adzuki Bean
Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi
Adzuki is the odd one out among the beans in this group: a very hot summer is actively too hot for it, since heat above about 35C damages…
Herbaceous · USDA 3–11
African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
African Eggplant, also called gboma or scarlet eggplant, is a West and Central African relative of eggplant that gives two harvests from one…
Herbaceous · USDA 8–12
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
Herbaceous · USDA 4–11
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera is a stemless, clump-forming succulent with thick, spiny-edged leaves that store a clear gel used to soothe burns, wounds and skin…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
Arugula
Eruca vesicaria
Arugula is the fastest food crop in the collection, germinating in about a day and giving a first harvest of strongly peppery leaves within…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
- Locked research reference
- Locked research reference
- Locked research reference