ginger
Photos
I came across this post talking about how habanero and similar can be preserved; might have to give that a go.
Last edited by shiny on 7 Nov 2026. View history
Habanero Pepper
Capsicum chinense ‘Habanero’
WD
A variety of chili pepper
How to sow habanero pepper: Direct seed indoors, transplant seedlings outside after hardening off
Sun requirement for habanero pepper: Plant in Full Sun
Habaneros are a very hot chili pepper variety that have a rating of 100,000-350,000 Scoville units and a floral aroma. The fruit is green when unripe. Various cultivars turn orange, red, white, brown, yellow, or purple as they ripen. Ripe fruit are typically 2-6 cm long.
- 16
- plantings
- 9
- harvests
- 5
- seed packets
Habanero pepper facts
Lifespan
Annual
living and reproducing in a single year or less
22 weeks
median lifespan
First harvest expected
8
weeks after planting
Last harvest expected
10
weeks after planting
Height × spread
50cm × 40cmRow Spacing
45cmDays until maturity
43–45 days median of members' seed packetsGrown for
fruit harvested 9 times
Optimal temperature
17–30 °C
Absolute temperature
8–35 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
600–1250 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
500–1700 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5.5–6.8
Absolute soil pH
4.5–7
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
60–180 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
3000 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For habanero pepper, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 8°C and a shortest growing cycle of 60 days at its best temperature, about 930 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your habanero pepper will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
Growing habanero peppers
- Sow seeds indoors somewhere warm 10 weeks before planting out
- Pot on the seedlings 6 weeks before planting out
- Harden off the seedlings 1 week before planting out
- Set or refill beer traps for slugs and snails at planting out every week
- Stake the plants 2 weeks after planting out
- Water regularly at planting out every week
- Check for aphids 2 weeks after planting out every 2 weeks
- Feed with tomato fertiliser 6 weeks after planting out every 2 weeks
- Pick chillies regularly at first harvest every week
- Bring pots in before the first frost 3 months after first harvest
How members grow habanero peppers
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Harvested for
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Varieties of habanero pepper
Plant habanero peppers with
Photos
Habanero pepper crops
Habanero pepper plantings
Habanero pepper harvests
Video
Where habanero peppers grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about habanero peppers
Who's planted habanero peppers
- shiny seedlings frames · Wellington, NZ
- Cwilliamson Home Garden · Angleton, Texas
- CloCkWeRX A & B - Raised Containers · Rosewater, South...
- therobotcarlson Indoor Garden · Wilmington, Delaware
- maco habanada sweet pepper backyard beds · Wheaton-Glenmont, MD
shiny
Habanero pepper harvests
-
CloCkWeRX harvested 8 .
over 2 years ago
-
CloCkWeRX harvested 4 .
over 2 years ago
-
shiny harvested not specified.
over 5 years ago
CloCkWeRX harvested 8 .
View all habanero pepper harvests
Sign in or sign up to track your habanero pepper harvests.Find habanero pepper seeds
View all habanero pepper seeds
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Capsicum annuum L.
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Asteridae Solanales Solanaceae |
|---|---|
| Life form | herb |
| Life span | annual |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | medium (50-150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, organic |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours) |
Learn more about habanero peppers
Resources outside Growstuff.
