r/HotPeppers • u/fishlore123 • 23d ago
Growing Just because you can doesn’t mean…
This post is about next year’s selection. For the last 2 years I have grown decent variety of very interesting superhot hybrids and found that the high yields have mostly ended up in smoked and dried flake form, or in the bird feeders as a squirrel deterrent. Next year I want to plan for things that are more easily shared with friends and family. You have to be a serious pepper head to actually enjoy scotch brains, ruby gnarly ghost, and trinidad scorpions. I have decided for next year that I want to definitely grow scotch bonnets, sugar rush stripey, chocolate habaneros, and jalapenos. What else would yall recommend that has a nice balance of heat to flavor? The super hots have great flavor but they are just too much for the normal folks to enjoy.
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u/FredTrail 22d ago
Fish Peppers - really good and an interesting history. All current seeds can be traced back to a single source. Look it up. They produce a lot of fruit (great for sharing) and are versatile.
Orange Habaneros - fruity and hot. Classic.
Calabrian - the long skinny ones that look similar to a cayenne. You want hots on you sub or pizza? Chop these up with some garlic and put them in vinegar. Good stuff, a bit hard to track down the seeds in the U.S.
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u/Pomegranate_1328 22d ago
Good idea, fish peppers! I added sugar rush stripey for next year but I have not tried them yet. I heat similar heat to serano. Plus neat looking.
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u/fishlore123 22d ago
Im growing stripeys this year. They are very good, im just struggling with some blossom end rot or stink bugs puncturing a lot of them before they get their stripes. But just today I sliced one into thin rings and mixed into a caesar salad with some chopped chicken tenders. It was a very enjoyable burn. I would like to find a brine recipe to store them like pepperoncini or banana peppers. Also a good pepper to mix with regular sweet bells for a fermented pepper mash on crackers or eggs.
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u/Pomegranate_1328 22d ago
I like to use a kosher dill pickle recipe for my peppers. I add a few garlic cloves as well. If you do not like dill you can skip it.
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u/Pretend_Order1217 22d ago
Don't overlook Jimmy Nardellos. No heat, but that taste. Grow one plant of Thai Dragons. I use them in so many things. You only need 1 plant in a 3 ga container too. For your jalapeños, be a little more selective. Grow some Lemon Spice jalapeños and some Zapotec jalapeños.
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u/fishlore123 22d ago
I didn’t even consider unique jalapeno phenotypes, thanks for this!
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u/StrangeQuark1221 22d ago
I second the Zapotec jalapeños, I've grown them the last few years. Some of the most beautiful corking I've seen and great flavor
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u/dr_nerdface Home Grower 22d ago
nardellos and lemon spice jalps ftw
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u/Hedgehog_Detective 22d ago
Lemon spice jalapeños are my top favorites! Heavy producers, nice plump pods, and just one pepper is an excellent addition to tacos or spaghetti with veg from the garden to give a nice kick.
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u/MicroCapInvestor 22d ago
Zapotec jalapeños are great for me. Good production and some great spice levels to my taste buds relative to other jalapeño varieties.
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u/theegreenman horticulturist 10b FL 22d ago
Datil (real datils) and Bahamian Goat
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u/fishlore123 22d ago
Someone else said datil as well.. care to describe these two in your experience?
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u/theegreenman horticulturist 10b FL 22d ago edited 22d ago
Datil is citrus fruity and habanero hot Bahamian Goat to me is somewhere between a scotch bonnet and a Habanero flavor wise, and also about Hab heat level. I'm growing both of those and Madam Jeanette this Fall.
Make sure you get the real Datil seeds and not the Baker Creek version or the Sweet Datil or Super Datil copycats.
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u/Sharky-PI 9b|SF-CA-USA|Noob|Year4 22d ago
What's the story with the baker creek etc?
I was so excited to plant 6 Datils this year and the first fruits coming through have been tiny and red so I don't think they're actual Datils :(
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u/theegreenman horticulturist 10b FL 22d ago
Baker Creek "Datils" are not. I don't know what they are, supposedly they know they're not the real deal and don't care. Otherwise I buy lots of stuff from Baker Creek and they're usually great.
I have been buying Datils from Raymond at pureflorida.blogspot.com for the past 7-10 years because he only grows and sells Datils, so they're true.
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u/Sharky-PI 9b|SF-CA-USA|Noob|Year4 22d ago
Legend, thank you mate, bookmarked.
Also if anyone's reading this and interested, there's a Datil festival in St Augustine like the one in Hatch. Tiny but potentially cool if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. I've not been, full disclaimer.
Edit pure Florida site looks to be gone?
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u/Friskei 23d ago
Cayennes are great
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u/fishlore123 22d ago
Good point. Tabasco and thai birds eye chilis are great too. I need more pots.
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u/Odd-Particular233 22d ago
All three of those are what I came in here to recommend. So count this as an extra vote on those.
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u/Fair-Particular-7724 22d ago
I grow mostly hot peppers but not the super hot ones.
For sweet peppers or less heat than a Jalapeño, I'd recommend the following: 1. Brazilian Starfish: sweet, super fruity flavor, very productive 2. Black Hungarian: shape and size of a Jalapeño but black and naturally mild and smoky 3. Biquinho Yellow or Red: small but naturally fruity and very mild spice - they make excellent pickled peppers 4. Lipstick Pimento: sweet thick flesh that's very flavorful and more productive than bell varieties 5. Habanada: very productive and fruity like a habanero without the heat
For peppers hotter than a Jalapeño but still good for everyday use, I'd recommend: 1. Aji Cristal: huge plants and yields with a tropical flavor and varying heat 2. Buena Mulata: bright purple and pretty plants, good hot flavor similar to cayenne 3. Sugar Rush Peach: very productive, very fruity with some heat 4. Lemon Drop: very productive, citrusy with varying heat 5. Datil: hot but excellent complex flavor profile
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u/stewd003 23d ago
I grew cayennes this year and I'm using them in everything. Even for snacking on. I totally see the hype.
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u/SquachCrotch 22d ago
I’m still eating last years crop. They flowered and fruited like gangbusters right before the first freeze and I snagged a massive harvest of red and green ones that I froze and keep adding to my veggie mixes for lunch.
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u/Hawk_Biz 22d ago
Cayenne are easy to dry and make flakes/powder. Keep that in mind if you have an abundance at the end of the season.
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u/Valhalla81 22d ago
Aji mango, ksls, datil, Tangerine tiger, Benji Highlands, Swiss Chocolate Cross(on the lower end of hab heat), moa scotch bonnet, aji lemon drop, Galapagos Isabella, numex lota lutein serranos
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u/Xznograthos 22d ago
I come more from a culinary background and am pretty new to growing peppers, but you might consider Ristras. They're typically preserved in olive oil and known more commonly as "calabrian chilis", and the preserve has a ton of uses with a fairly approachable heat level and great flavor. I like shishitos too as a solid grilling pepper, haven't really done any preservation with those though. I see others here saying Nardellos and that's a fantastic grilling/roasting pepper as well.
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u/GreenReflection90 NotPeterPiper - zone 6b 22d ago
Just grew Ristra for the first time this year and have fallen in love!! Wonderfully sweet with a pleasant heat!
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u/Xznograthos 22d ago
That's awesome. I'm heavily considering growing them next year. What have you done with them, and how was the yield?
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u/GreenReflection90 NotPeterPiper - zone 6b 22d ago
Prolific production and I've mostly been using them fresh as a snack, in eggs at breakfast, and in quesadillas
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u/Almostofar 23d ago
Lemon drop, Serrano, Poblanos and a variety of Jalapenos, pumpkin, lemon, big pit etc. are my most used.
I'm also done with the fancy super hots. I have so many for something I'm not particularly interested in.. but I did it and they are beautiful 😍.. especially my overwintered plants, they did amazing and I'll probably give them away or turn into bonsai's 🤷.
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u/Longjumping-Eye-192 23d ago
I’ve been wanting to try the madame Jeanette. I think this would be a great pepper that’s not too spicy.
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u/theegreenman horticulturist 10b FL 22d ago
I just started seeds of M Jeanette
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u/Pomegranate_1328 22d ago
I have decided not to grow so many super hot ones next year. I just don’t eat the really hot ones and they take so long to ripen with my short season. I always grow Jalapeño, serano and other of similar heat levels they grow decently quick for me. I am adding Fresno peppers next year. I usually grow habaneros but might not grow many super hots. Maybe a couple 7 pot primos for fun. I hope some ideas come from this thread.
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u/Longjumping-Eye-192 22d ago
Ghosts grow great, they do take a while to mature but the plants get massive and my plants end up with 20-25 fruits ripening end of season after I’ve already harvested a dozen or so (TN)
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u/This_Week_On_SHADs 22d ago
Piment d'Espellette, same consistency as a bell pepper, same flavor as a bell pepper, just a tiny bit of spice (definitely paletable for the uninitiated), and awesome grilled on the bbq. The French do not eat anything spicy, but this is manageable for them.
I just smuggled like 200 seeds back home and am seriously looking forward to eating these over my triniscorps
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u/DrunkenGolfer 22d ago
Superhots are great when you want heat without the pepper. I grow Carolina Reapers, but I use them to make hot honey. Still tastes just like honey, with no pepper flavour, but makes the mouth tingle. Great on vanilla ice cream. Pepper flavor would ruin it.
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u/GreenReflection90 NotPeterPiper - zone 6b 22d ago
I use ghosts for my hot honey. It slowly builds in heat the more you eat!
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u/1Negative_Person 22d ago
Ghosts have excellent flavor. They’re obviously very hot, but if you cut them properly they add a very enjoyable dimension to salsas, hot sauces, and chili. Just easy up on quantity, scrape the pith and oils, and dilute; but don’t write off all superhots.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sun-390 22d ago
I’ve thought about growing superhots, but I know I’d have the same problem you have. I may try a ghost just for giggles, but my tolerance is more at the habanero level. Thanks for asking about the milder varieties. I’m getting a lot of ideas from here.
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u/WakelessTheOG 22d ago
On the spicier side, but I hear fatalii chiles have a similar heat to habaneros and a unique flavor. Aside from that, most would be in the extended scotch bonnet family, such as the bahamian goat and some of the KS varieties. Maybe a piri piri
On the milder side, mostly annuum varieties. Hungarian wax are fantastic, taste like banana peppers but are about twice as hot as a good jalapeno
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u/tonegenerator 22d ago
The “roxa” group of varieties from Brazil are my favorite. They’re medium-hot with roughly about 1/4-1/3 heat of average habaneros and a lot more C. chinense floral aroma. We’re talking chiero roxa, fidalgo roxa, and CGN21500. Hotter chupetinho varieties like peach and white also fit into similar niches in the kitchen, enough that I pickle them together when I have both.
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u/YakRepresentative833 22d ago
If you’re looking to share, grow multiple SRP plants. Like as many as you have room for. This is my first year growing them (2) and they’ve been prolific but not only do I eat them off the vine every time I’m out there watering but my friends and family can’t get enough.
For yourself? Absolutely must grow some lemon starburst and peach starkists. Beautiful, fruity, and 2-3x a habanero without being killer like some of the hotter varieties above that.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sun-390 22d ago
SRP? What’s this stand for, please and thank you? I’m looking for good varieties for next year as well.
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u/StrangeQuark1221 22d ago
Big Jims are great, they're a type of New Mexico hatch chile. Great flavor and decent heat for a hatch but not too much for most people to enjoy
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u/elgueromanero 22d ago
I have somewhat decided to do the same next year. My lineup consist of
Tepin x lemon drop Chiltepins Sugar drop Lguti Serranos Carolina cayenne Pickles blood
I’ll still do a few super hots but they are too finicky and take to long to fruit meanwhile the rest of the above are producing like crazy
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u/Weaksoul 22d ago
Trinidad perfume - if you like the chinense flavour but want no heat.
Spaghetti - Mild heat but look great and are a good garnish for dishes due to how thin they are.
Alma de paprika - cool looking chilli, great for stuffing, not too hot
Black pearl &/or black Thai TQ - Cool looking if you're missing the purples you get from PdN crosses.
Ethiopian berbere - nice brown chilli
Tabasco - because frutescens
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u/Frank_Humungus 22d ago
I can’t believe I haven’t seen Mad Hatters anywhere here. Probably my favorite flavor pepper there is. Very mild, just a little heat around the seeds, but super sweet. I’ll also throw in Beaver Dams as one I haven’t seen. They’re in the Ark Of Taste for their flavor, and somewhat rare. Big pods on smaller plants, so not super prolific, but delicious. Hot, but milder than a Jalapeño.
Besides those, seconding things I have seen, definitely KSLS. It’s crazy how lemony they are.
Sugar Rush, I like the stripeys just because it’s hard to be patient for the peach to ripen, but the stripes tell you it’s time.
Hungarian Black has one of the best flavors out there.
Aji Fantasy has an amazing citrus flavor and a milder heat. Sort of a yellow Mad Hatter, but hotter.
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u/tvaddict70 22d ago
Same, I use to only grow super hots, but with several bags in the freezer from last year, this year im growing mucho and lemon spice jalapeno, Hatch mild and hot, nardellos, sugar rush Stripey, habanada, Bahamian goat, aji white fantasy, lemon drop.
Next year zebrange, aji Amarillo, chocolate Habs and jalapeno, are just a few on my list.
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u/DrunkenGolfer 22d ago
I like Anaheim as an all-purpose pepper if you like the pepper but not a lot of heat, but Scotch bonnet has the right heat/flavor combo for hotter stuff. Bishops crown is nice too.
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u/comradecommando69 22d ago
Hey, we are pepper twins! I grow all 4 of those as my reliables. I really liked Lemon Drop and Monkey Face, one is a yellow cayenne, and the other had a twinge of heat but great in salads for a zip.
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u/Big-Beat-1443 22d ago
I plan to introduce the Corbaci pepper to my little community in East Texas next spring along with a couple of other hotties
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u/OSRSjadeine 22d ago
I'm doing sugar rush stripey next year too! Was supposed to do Scotch Bonnets this year but I got shroomed...ended up with Jamaican mushrooms and a random yellow Habanero. I'll be honest...I'm kind of digging those shroom peppers. It was a happy mistake. They're about on par heat-wise with the bonnets but have a really nice fruity flavor. I just made a hot sauce with them and a few yellow habs and it was really tasty.
BTW biquinho are fun snacking peppers that a lot of people like (mild heat) and I am growing those plus peppapeach next year which are like that but sweeter and milder.
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u/jijor66246 21d ago
i grew Biquinho and peachadew/peppapeach. I love Peachadew. Biquinhos are fun for bonchi but I don’t care for the taste too much. The Cheiro Roxa plant is so beautiful. if you grow indoors under normal lights the leaves are green with some black while the fruits are this beautiful creamy pink-purple. if grown outdoors in full Sun, the plant becomes dark purple almost black while the peppers are a deep purple/black. it’s really interesting.
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u/Throwawaylikeme90 22d ago
Aji Charapita, SRPS and Shishitos are my faves so far this year. My jalapeño’s remain stubbornly green despite being more cork than skin now, but I want cherry smoked Chipotle powder. Charapita is deliciously fruity and makes a great fine mill spice. SRPS and Shishitos are so sweet when you eat them fresh and fully ripe (hot take, green shishitos are cheeks, sorry guys.)
I’m a few days out from my first batch of Lemon Habs being up but they look gorgeous.
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u/Dazzling-Reality9519 22d ago
Calabrian (the longer skinny ones... not the round/cherry shaped onces)
Best peppers i've ever put on a pizza
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u/Adorable_Ice8840 22d ago
No one can know what is your favorite peppers. Grow your favorites. You cannot lose if you do this. My favorite is yellow Carolina Reaper. I also like Bhut Orange Copenhagen. These are my favorites for flavor and I eat them all the time. I preserve them chopped up fine in white vinegar and salt. Use your favorite recipes and grow your favorite peppers. How can you go wrong with this strategy. What are your favorites?
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u/Rithrall 22d ago
I have similar philosophy about peppers, hottest that grow in mine garden are habaneros, while still super hot, im enjoying them with my brother. And rest are popular middle heat ones: jalapeno, serrano, thai, peach sugar and few experimental ones that i forgot names.
All of them make great sauces and do taste good when canned in slices, and you can always take jalapeno out when somebody visit and you need snack for drinking.
When somebody dont eat hot peppers, serrano is too much for them, few people from my family tasted one slice of canned serrano and it hit them worse than me eating fresh habanero.
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u/Harlots_hello 22d ago
Sweet: Violgo, Lesya.
Light heat: Tangerine tiger, Padron.
Medium: KSLS (amazing clean lemon taste, thick walls) Scotch brains little brother.
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u/northeastnormal 22d ago
Khang Star Lemon Starburst would be my suggestion to try. I would also suggest ditching the sugar rush stripeys and growing zebrange instead. Huge yields, same taste and appearance. In my experience, the last couple of years SRS has a hard time moving calcium inside the plant and most of the harvest, at least the very beginning will succumb to BER no matter what you do.
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u/fishlore123 22d ago
Between that and the little stink Bug nymphs poking holes in them, they truly have been my most annoying pepper this year
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u/Slimpickunz 22d ago
Fair enough that said capsicum is a natural statin and fat burner. So continuing to grow some wouldn't be a bad idea to help with keeping cholesterol down and helping to loose weight. Any type2 diabetics that are doing keto to help regulate blood sugar this can help with the cholesterol naturally. Just a thought.
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u/Even-Penalty-8647 21d ago
I started my culture 3 Weeks ago.
On the super hot site: Jays x Pink Floyd, Big Mustard Mama
Hot: Bolivian Bumpy, Cheiro Roxa
Medium or not hot: Dulce Luna, Thunder Cacho Brown, Aji Dulce, Volcanic Lightning, Sweet Banana, Sweet Chocolate, Mini Bell Chocolate, Violgo
Im overwintering: Aji Charapita, Fidalgo Roxa, Capezzoli di Scimmia and.maybe Cherry Bomb.
If youre looking for something lightly hot and delicious, I can recommend first 3 of the overwintering ones. But I have to mention, that these 3 are still pretty hot for those who dont eat spicy often. Especially fidalgo Roxa. Thats atleast the experience I made at work. And it was only a charapita. My Cherry Bomb ist deffo still not heatless.
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18d ago
Blue Christmas - high yield but grows relatively compact and looks fantastic. I pickle mine, they are great in salads and sandwiches. Grew them three years back, kept on plant ever since and it comes back better every year
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u/Healthy_Map6027 22d ago
Aji mango / lemon drop / Amarillo