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Hot chiles for shorter seasons

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

What are your favorite chile peppers (the hotter the better) for shorter growing seasons, especially where the soil is such as to make them slow-growing?

My favorites so far include these:

* Randy Sine's Evil Jalapeno (probably my earliest pepper; I think it's best and hottest green; it's sweeter red, but has more flavor green, I think; picking the peppers seems to encourage more fruit)

* Aji Omnicolor (not really early, but early for the C. baccatum species; early enough to get a good amount of fruit, and at least a few red ones; the red and orange ones have fruity taste; mine weren't that hot last year, and they had a very pleasant heat, but this year the red ones were very, very hot, and the heat wasn't as pleasant uncooked; they'll ripen after being picked)

* Ring of Fire (prolific; capable of being quite hot; very nice red color; they say it's 50k SHU, but some of mine tasted like 400k SHU).

* Aji Dulce 1 (not that early, but you can get fruit, and it tastes really good when green; I haven't tried the red ones, but I had a few that ripened after I picked them and brought them indoors; it's a seasoning pepper; so, it's not very hot at all)

* Grandpa's Home (tastes better cooked, IMO; similar flavor to Yatzy)

* Chinese 5 Color

* Orange Carbonero (I started mine really super early, but it was very prolific and great for cooking; I'm not sure if it does as well if not started months early)

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Comments (5)

woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
6 years ago
Naga Morich and other Naga strains. Rather short DTM compared to most other superhots. Even quicker when grown in containers.

"picking the peppers seems to encourage more fruit)" --- LOL...yes, gotta harvest!

Kevin
Mokinu thanked woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
User
6 years ago
Serranos are traditionally used green, and develop heat rather quickly. 10X the heat of jalapenos and a nice crisp flavor along with the heat. (not grassy, not metallic). They are the heat in salsa verde and pico de gallo and some chutneys.

Do as much season extending in the spring as you can:
- Warm the soil with frost cloth or plastic covers before you set out seedlings.
- Start plants early on seed heating mats
- Use frost cloth to trap heat in the spring for better early growth
- Maybe even make a mini-greenhouse of hay bales and glass panels for their early weeks.
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hobbyartisan (Saskatoon, SK Canada, 2b)
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I've given up on trying to plant anything other than a few short season sweet/bell types in ground in my zone 2b. I plant everything in pots so I can move them around as needed when weather threatens. I usually do at least 30 pots! I love the variety of peppers for different culinary pursuits. I usually start my long season seeds in February.

Kung pao is super prolific and quite hot and always ripens even in my short season. India jwala has very similar characteristics but is way hotter. They freeze really well to use all winter and the slender shape is easy to store in the freezer.
Mokinu
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Have any of you tried Paper Lantern peppers? They're a C. chinense breed with about 200k SHU and 80 days to maturity (which though not early for a pepper generally is early for C. chinense as far as I've discovered; there are probably earlier C. Chinense varieties out there, but I hardly ever see the days to maturity on their listings).
rdback
6 years ago
NagaBon and Paper Lantern Habanero. Both are early for being chinenses and are prolific. Two of my must grows every year.
Mokinu thanked rdback

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