Back to Home Page Back to Catalog Hot and Chile Peppers The very best Chile Peppers are home grown. Most are easier to grow and smaller than their sweet cousins. They can also be grown in pots or planters, but for the most heat, plant them in your garden soil and give them minimal fertilizer or compost. For a special treat, grill the thicker fleshed varieties and enjoy with a late summer meal.
Ancho Poblano Source: Richter’s Herbs Average Height: 18-24 inches Dark green, heart-shaped 3x4 inch fruits. Called Poblano when green and Ancho when red and dried. The standard Mexican Variety for sauces and stuffing, distinctive rich flavor without too much heat. 90 days from transplant.	Beaver Dam Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24-36 inches Hungarian heirloom brought to Beaver Dam, WI in 1929 by the Joe Hussli family. Mrs. Hussli recommends adding sliced raw rings to a cheese and bologna sandwich or using for stuffed peppers. Mildly hot when seeded, crunchy fruit. Excellent flavor, ripens from lime-green to red. 80 days from transplant.	Black Hungarian Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 18 - 24 inches Highly ornamental and useful in the kitchen. Green foliage is highlighted by purple veins and beautiful purple flowers. Sturdy plants produce abundant yields of 3-4 inch fruits similar in shape to Jalapenos, but shiny black ripening to red. Mildly hot with good flavor. Reliable, few problems with insects or disease.
Cayenne Pepper Source: Richter’s Herbs Average Height: 24 - 48 inches Hot, straight and tapered fruits turn red when ripe. Heavy producer. Good dried or fresh	Habanero Pepper Source: Maggie’s Garden Average Height: 24 - 36 inches Caribbean favorite reportedly 15-20 times hotter than Jalapeno. Plants produce large amounts of lantern-shaped 1” by 1 ½” fruits. Green thin flesh ripens to deep orange. Great pest deterrent.	Jalapeño Pepper Source: Seeds of Change Average Height: 24 – 48 inches Popular medium-hot variety widely used in the burritos and tamales of Mexico and the Southwest. Thick walled, 3 in. fruits are typically eaten green but are also excellent ripened to red. Called "Chipotle" when smoked.
Santa Fe Grande Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24 inches Hot conical blunt-tipped fruits, 1 ½ ‘ wide by 3 ½” long medium thick walls. Ripens from yellow to orange to red. Continuous heavy yields. Very good for pickling, canning, freezing or salsa. This pepper always does well in my garden – even when others fail.	Serrano Pepper Source: Maggie’s Garden Average Height: 18 - 24 inches Wonderful compact plant producing hundreds of small firecracker hot peppers. Fleshy type best for canning or freezing, not drying. Best roasted before adding to sauces.	Back to Home Page Back to Catalog
Sweet Peppers Growing large, sweet bell peppers can be a challenge in Wisconsin. But if you have a good hot location and are willing to water, mulch and feed them, you can produce a bounty of these healthy gems in your backyard garden. The Seeds of Change catalog has a wonderful section of growing and harvesting tips. I like to cut up my extra peppers and freeze them to use in sauces, stir fry and fajitas all winter long.
Buran Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 18-24 inches Extremely sweet Polish heirloom. Fruits are 3-lobed and measure 4" long by 3" at the shoulders. Fruits are equally sweet when either green or red. 90 days from transplant. Always reliable, nice flavor.	Jimmy Nardello’s Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24 inches Description: Brought to the US in 1887 by Guiseppe Nardello from the small village of Ruoti in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. With an almost candy-like sweetness, these long, tapered peppers are delightful fresh or fried. A recent survey rated this as the sweetest non-bell pepper. 80-90 days from transplant. Always does well and tastes wonderful.	Marconi Red Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24-30 inches Italian heirloom prized for extremely sweet large red fruits. Plants produce 3-lobed tapered blunt-tipped fruits that measure 3” at the shoulder and up to 12” long. Excellent for using green and fresh in salads, and also for frying and peeling.
Napolean Sweet Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24-30 inches Possibly the most productive of all the large peppers, bears consistently until frost. Mild as an apple. Fruit about 8 inches long and 4 ½ inches wide, standing upright until they get so heavy they sometimes droop.	Quadrato Asti Giallo Pepper Source: Seed Savers Exchange Average Height: 24-30 inches Large, blocky, almost square 3 or 4 lobed giant bell pepper from Italy. Green peppers ripen very slowly to golden yellow. Thick, crisp flesh with delicious sweet spicy flavor when either green or yellow	Back to Home Page Back to Catalog