Tabasco Hot Chili Pepper Seeds

Tabasco pepper seeds. Named after the area of it's origin in south-east Mexico, it is most famous for the sauce for which it has been widely grown for since as early as 1850. The fruits turn from a pale yellow to orange to red as they mature. The compact bush grows up to 4 feet tall and can bear up to 100, upward pointing peppers reaching 1 1/2 inches long. Scoville units: 30,000 - 50,000.

Famed as the main ingredient of the well known hot chilli sauce. Chilli Pepper ?Tabasco? produces small, upright, yellow-green fruits that turn scarlet when ripe. This very hot pepper is easy to grow in the greenhouse or in containers on a sunny patio. Height: 50cm (20?). Spread: 40cm (16?).

Sowing & Growing

Sow early December-January, or for main crop March- April.

Sow the seed into compost either into a seed tray or into modules with a temperature between 20-24oC and cover with a light layer of compost. Germination typically takes 14 - 21 days. Cover the compost with clear plastic film which helps raise the temperature aiding germination.

Once seedlings emerge they do not require quite as much heat, temperatures can be reduced to 18oC by day and no lower than 16oC at night.

It is best to re-pot in stages before their final pot size. Once in final pot size plants may need staking for support. Water regularly but be careful not to over water, surface of compost can be allowed to dry out slightly between watering.

Please note that germination can be slow and erratic on some open pollinated hot peppers.

Harvesting

Hot peppers can be harvested from green or once ripened into yellow, orange or red. A Hot Pepper?s heat usually intensifies with maturity. Once ripe fruits can remain on plant in good condition until temperatures begin to drop.