Meet some of our favorite types of peppers!
There are thousands of types of sweet and hot peppers grown around the world in an incredible range of flavors, heat levels, colors, and fruit shapes and sizes. Read on to learn about six of the most popular types of peppers to grow in the garden.
There are two main types of peppers: sweet and hot
Sweet peppers
Sweet peppers have little to no heat and a flavor that runs from mild to fruity. The immature fruits of most varieties of sweet peppers are green and ripen to rich hues of red, orange, yellow, purple, white, and even chocolate brown. Large bell pepper plants produce 5 to 10 fruits each, while mini fruiting varieties typically yield several dozen peppers per plant.
Hot peppers
Hot peppers, also called chilis, really kick it up a notch! They run from the mildly spicy poblano to the five-alarm fire of a Carolina Reaper, which has a Scoville heat unit of 2.2 million. Yikes! (Learn more about this spiciness rating system in “Scoville Scale” below). Some favorite hot peppers include jalapeño and cayenne varieties, which are so versatile in the kitchen.
Measure pepper heat with Scoville Scale
The Scoville scale, developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912, measures the hotness of a pepper, given in Scoville heat units (SHU). Capsaicin is the compound in peppers that produces a burning sensation. Knowing where a pepper ranks on the scale of 0 (sweet bell peppers) to 16,000,000 (pure capsaicin), you can choose ones that are best for your heat tolerance. Take a look at the graphic to see how different peppers rank on the scale.
Tips for handling hot peppers safely
Hot peppers contain capsaicin, a compound that gives them their heat. Here are a few tips for handling hot peppers safely:
- When slicing and dicing hot peppers, be sure to wear gloves to protect your skin. Once finished, carefully remove the gloves and wash your hands.
- If you do come in contact with the oils of a hot pepper, scrub your hands with dish soap as soon as possible, lathering well. Repeat several times.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes!
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Popular types of sweet peppers
Sweet peppers have little to no heat and a sweet fruity flavor. Here are a few different varieties I like to grow.
Bell peppers
Bell peppers are essential in the kitchen and the garden! They’re grown for their thick, crunchy flesh that has a mild, sweet flavor, and can be enjoyed both unripe (green) and ripe (red, orange and yellow).
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‘Candy Snax Mini Pepper Mixture’ bell pepper
Mini bell peppers are fun to grow and eat! The pint-sized peppers grow 2 to 3 inches long in candy-colored hues of orange, red, yellow and chocolate. (Ripe 70 days green, 80 days red from transplanting) -
‘Majestic Red’ bell pepper (in photo)
This disease-resistant variety boasts large to extra-large peppers that mature to a bright candy red. The large blocky fruits have thick walls and a satisfying crunch. (Ripe 75 days green, 85 days red from transplanting)
Corno di Toro peppers
Corno di toro sweet peppers are also known as bulls-horn or Italian frying pepper and produces long, conical fruits 4 to 12 inches long, depending on the variety. The plants are tall, vigorous, and wellbranched for a generous harvest.
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‘Carmen’ corno di toro pepper
Carmen is an award-winning variety that is early to mature — perfect for short season gardens. The tapered peppers are 2½ inches across at the shoulder and grow 6 inches long. They ripen from green to bright cherry red. (Ripe 60 days green, 80 days red from transplanting) -
‘Cornito Giallo’ corno di toro pepper (in photo)
I fell in love with this variety in 2016 and have been growing it ever since. Why? The glossy golden peppers are exceptionally sweet and delicious grilled, fried, roasted, or straight from the garden. (Ripe 55 days green, 75 days red from transplanting)
Banana peppers
Sweet banana peppers are fun to grow — and eat! As the name suggests, they resemble bananas with long tapered shapes and yellow-green skin as they begin to mature. They have a mild flavor, crunchy flesh, are are typically eaten fresh or pickled. Harvest banana peppers at the yellow-green stage or leave them on the plant to ripen fully.
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‘Goddess’ banana pepper
‘Goddess’ is a hybrid banana pepper variety with 8 to 9 inch long, mild- tasting fruits. Excellent for pickling. (Ripe 63 days yellow, 83 days red from transplanting) -
‘Sweet Banana’ banana pepper (in photo)
An award-winning heirloom variety that yields 6- to 7-inch-long fruits that are mild and delicious. A great variety for pickling. (Ripe 72 days from transplanting)
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Popular types of Hot chili peppers
Hot peppers can run from mildly spicy to fire alarm fiery! Here are some of our favorites to try:
Jalapeño peppers
If I could only grow one type of hot pepper, it would be jalapeños. I use the medium-hot fruits on top of nachos and tacos, chopped in chili and salsa, and baked in cornbread. Jalapeños are typically harvested while glossy green. Scoville heat units: 2,500 to 8,000.
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‘Jedi’ jalapeño (in photo)
Vigorous, disease-resistant plants that set fruits continuously from midsummer until frost. Plus, the glossy green peppers are huge — up to 5 inches long and produced in abundance. (Ripe 72 days from transplanting) -
‘Pot-a-peno’ jalapeño
Small space space? No problem! Ultra compact ‘Pot-a-peno’ plants grow 12 to 15 inches tall and are perfect for containers and hanging baskets. Expect a generous harvest of 3- to 4-inch long jalapeño peppers. (Ripe 60 days from transplanting)
Cayenne peppers
Cayenne peppers are super versatile and I use them fresh in the kitchen or dry the fruits for hot pepper flakes. The slender peppers grow 2 to 6 inches long, depending on the variety, and pack a moderate to high heat. Scoville heat units: 30,000 to 50,000.
- ‘Fiesta Cayenne Blend’
Grow a rainbow of 3-inch-long hot peppers with ‘Fiesta Cayenne Blend’, a mix that includes red, yellow, purple, green and orange varieties. These compact plants are ideal for pots and windowboxes. (Ripe 80 days from transplanting) - ‘Red Flame’ (in photo)
‘Red Flame’ is a classic cayenne with fire engine-red fruits. I grow it for its high productivity — each plant produces dozens of 6-inch long peppers. (Ripe 80 days from transplanting)
Habanero peppers
Habanero peppers are known for their fiery heat and citrusy flavor which makes them an essential ingredient in hot sauce, chili and spicy salsas. The fruits look like little lanterns and ripen from green to orange, yellow or red, depending on the variety. The seed can be slow to germinate, so sow them indoors 2 weeks earlier than other types of peppers. Scoville heat units: 150,000 to 325,000.
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Red habanero (in photo) Handle with care! The 3-foot-tall plants yield a heavy crop of scorching hot red fruits. (Ripe 100 days from transplanting)
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‘Red Savina’ This little hottie produces up to 50 glossy red peppers per plant. They’re incredibly hot with a Scoville Heat Unit rating between 200,000 and 580,000! (Ripe 90 days from transplanting)
