How to Grow Habanero Peppers

Habanero Peppers: Of all the chili peppers the Habanero Pepper is generally recognized as being one of the hottest, weighing in at around 150,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units, compared to 5,000 to 8,000 for the jalapeno pepper. Despite its fiery heat the habanero is also known for it’s great flavor which is fruity and almost citrus like.

Habanero peppers normally grow to about 1 to 2 inches in size. Immature peppers are green and ripen to many different colors ranging from the common red and orange habanero to purple and even white varieties.

Growing habanero peppers is a very easy thing to do as long as you have some access to the outdoors at the place where you live. Fresh habanero peppers are definitely much better than most store bought ones and there is something gratifying about growing your own produce.

Habanero Climate

Habanero peppers grow best in hot and dry climates though they can be grown in almost any climate with a summer of at least a few months. The longer and hotter your summer is the more the habaneros will thrive but even in the northern states you can get decent sized plants that will produce 5-10 peppers.

Where to Plant Habaneros

Habanero plants can be grown in almost any location. While they do best in a normal garden bed, or even a raised garden bed they work just fine in containers. There are some ways to grow habanero peppers indoors as well, such as the AeroGarden Seed Kits.

How to Plant Habaneros

There are two ways to plant habaneros at home: from habanero seeds or by transplanting a habanero plant.

Planting Habanero Plants

If a local nursery sells habanero plants you are in luck. You can purchase a small habanero plant and then plant it in your garden. To plant it dig a hole a little deeper than the root ball on the plant and about twice as wide. Then place the root ball in the hole and fill it back in. Water it daily for a fews days until the habanero plant is established and then water it as needed moving forward.

Planting Habanero Seeds

You can get habanero seeds from several online places and have them shipped to you. To plant the seeds you will make a hole about 1/2 inch deep and place 2 seeds in the hole. Water the soil and keep it moist for the next week until the plants begin to come up. If more than 1 habanero sprout comes up from a hole then cut off the smaller plant. You’ll want your habanero plants to be 12 inches apart as they start to grow.

Harvesting Habanero Peppers

Deciding when to pick your habanero peppers is easy, just wait until they turn orange. The peppers will be large and green at first but once they ripen they will turn a bright shade of orange, that means it’s time to pick them.

Hopefully you have all the information you need to get started growing habanero peppers on your own. Enjoy!