Let me ask you a question, what do you associate chili peppers with? Heat of course! Sunny days in Mexico, beating sunshine, spicy food… But if you live in a cold climate, how can you grow and enjoy these spicy, super hot little fruits? True, most varieties of Capsicum, as scientists call it, cannot stand low temperatures – but there’s always the exception to the rule. Actually, there are a few, and you can plant them in your veggie garden even if winters are not very mild where you live!
Let’s solve this problem then: you don’t live in a tropical climate, so, which hot chili pepper varieties can you grow? Let’s find out!
Hot Chili Peppers Hardiness and Climate
Most varieties of hot chili peppers, or Capsicum species, are not cold hardy at all! In fact, they will survive winters only in USDA zones 10 to 12… That means tropical! And if you are not lucky enough to live in Puerto Rico or the Caribbean Islands, you cannot grow them in your veggie garden. However, this is not true for all of them.
The very common Capsicum chinesewill start suffering if temperatures drop to 55°F (13°C), which is quite warm, and it will die if the weather goes below 30°F (-1.1°C), which is fairly common. So, the idea is that it cannot survive frost. Other species, though, like Capsicum pubescens(Manzano) and Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens)can withstand 20°F (-6.7°C), which is USDA zone 9, or, in a sheltered place with a warmer microclimate, even zone 8.
AlsoCapsicum annuum which, despite its name, is a perennial, can grow in USDA zones 9b and above, surviving freezing temperatures of 25°F (or -3.9°C).
However, the most cold hardy species of all is Capsicum baccatum, native to seasonally dry forests of South America, which grows in USDA zones 8 and above (15°F, or -9.4°C).
10 Early Maturing Hot Peppers For Shorter Growing Seasons
Fortunately, there are many varieties and cultivars from these three species, in all colors, and in many shapes too! Attractive to the eye, and spicy and hot on the tongue. Let’s see some of the best!
1: ‘Black Hungarian’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum var annuum ‘Black Hungarian’)
As its name suggests, ‘Black Hungarian’ is really dark, very deep purple, or, as we call it, “gardening black”. The chili fruits grow pointing up, and they are conical in shape, so it adds a devilish look to your veggie garden, and a spicy addition to your plates. They are about 3 inches long (roughly 8.0 cm) and mild to medium heat.
Ideal to add a colorful twist and some extra spice to both decorative gardens and to your dishes, ‘Black Hungarian’ chili pepper is an all time favorite, easy to find and grow.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9b and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 24 inches (60 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 5,000 to 10,000, mild to medium.
2: ‘Aji Fantasy’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum baccatum ‘Aji Fantasy’)
On to a totally different variety, a cultivar of Capsicum baccatum, ‘Aji Fantasy’ is super productive and it gives you really weird looking chili peppers… They look a bit like bells, starting with a cupped top, then opening at the bottom… They are pale green in color, but despite its innocent look, it is a bit hotter than ‘Black Hungarian’.
If you want an extra twist, you can grow the ‘Aji White Fantasy’, with its ivory colored “skin”…
- Hardiness: USDA zones 8 and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 24 inches (60 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 30,000, medium..
3: ‘NuMex Orange Spice’ Jalapeno Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘NuMex Orange Spice’)
‘NuMex Orange Spice’ is a semi-compact Jalapeno shaped chili pepper (about 4 to 5 inches long, or 10 to 12.5 cm), with fruits pointing up like little flames from the branches. As you would expect, it is orange in shade, not particularly bright, but quite attractive to look at. But despite its fiery look, it is quite mild.
‘NuMex Orange Spice’ is an ideal choice if you are looking for largish chilis that add a gentle touch of heat to your dishes and garden, but you also want to taste the sweet flavor peppers, like with big Jalapenos. It is also a fast fruiting variety; you can harvest it in 60 days from planting.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9 and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 24 to 36 inches (60 to 90 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 2,000 to 8,000, mild.
4: ‘Korean Red’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Korean Red’)
Classic looking ‘Korean Red’ will give you the first chili peppers after about 75 days from planting, and they really look the part! Long and narrow, like little horns, you may confuse them for little flames, though they hang down from the branches. The shiny scarlet fruits are small, only about 2 inches long (5.0 cm) but what they lack in size, they make up for in personality and spiciness.
Actually, this medium mild chili pepper is an all time favorite, and you can easily find its seeds from nurseries and online.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9b and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 18 inches (45 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 2,000 to 8,000, mild to medium.
5: ‘Anheim’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum baccatum ‘Anheim’)
With its rich green chilis, shiny and glossy, ‘Anheim’ looks quite fresh and innocuous indeed, and in fact, it is only very mildly spicy, with fruits that reach 8 inches long (20 cm), with the traditional long and pointed shape. This is a real classic, an heirloom variety introduced back in 1913, and it is very popular in states like California, maybe thanks to its sweet flavor, and abundant harvest.
Ideal for mild, warm, rather than hot dishes, ‘Anaheim’ is less valuable for decorative gardens than other varieties, but definitely worth growing in vegetable patches in temperate climates.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9 and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 500 to 2,000, very mild.
6: Manzano Chili Pepper (Capsicum pubescens)
However, if you want real heat in a cold climate, you need to turn to ‘Anaheim’’s “mother” – the natural species Capsicum pubescens, a.k.a., Manzano chili pepper! Yes, because it can reach a whopping 250,000 points on the Scoville Scale, which is like having fire in your mouth. Despite this, the round fruits look quite innocuous, at least for their shape, like short bell peppers, and size, only 2 inches across (5.0 cm). However, they take their time to ripen, up to 120 days… In the end, they need to absorb lots of sunshine to get that spicy!
The fruits of Manzano chili peppers range from green to red, depending on the maturity stage, and their shape and colors make them quite attractive in hot dishes as well as in flower beds or containers.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9 and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 16 inches (40 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. Itisdroughttolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 2,000 to 250,000, mild to very hot, usually above 50,000, so hot to very hot.
7: Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum frutescens)
Here’s a very popular species of chili you can grow in fairly cool climates, Cayenne pepper. With its classical pointed shape, often bending like a hook, and ripening (over 70 to 100 days) from bright green to fiery red, it is a real classic in vegetable gardens and many dishes. The fruits are 4 to 10 inches long (10 to 25 cm), and very abundant indeed on the plants. And it can get quite spicy indeed, up to 50,000 units on the Scoville Scale.
A safe choice for all vegetable gardens, Cayenne pepper never disappoints, though its spiciness will depend on the climate and sunshine.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9 and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. Itisdroughttolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 30,000 to 50,000, medium to medium hot.
8: ‘BulgarianCarrot’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘BulgarianCarrot’)
Guess what? The fruits of this Cpasicum annuum cultivar look like Bugs Bunny’s favorite food, and that’s why it goes by the name of ‘Bulgarian Carrot’. Having said this, I’m not sure rabbits could stand its heat, as it reaches 30,000 Scoville units in the right conditions. Its chili peppers are long and narrow (3 to 4 inches, or 7.5 to 10 cm) but with a soft tip, and, of course, bright orange in color.
They take about 75 to 80 days to ripen and, in the meantime, you can enjoy their decorative presence in your backyard, front garden or in containers.
- Hardiness: USDA zones.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. Itisdroughttolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 20,000 to 30,000, medium hot.
9: ‘Jimmy Nardello’ Chili Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Jimmy Nardello’)
Bred in the Basilicata region of Italy (famous for basil, of course), ‘Jimmy Nardello’ is another classic cultivar of Capsicum annuum, which offers you a very traditional chili pepper look, with long and hooked fruits that reach 5 to 8 inches (12.5 to 20 cm) but they are very thin and pointed. They ripen in 80 to 90’ days and, in the meantime, they change from green to yellow, orange and then red, darkening to almost purple, on a damson to ruby shade.
Despite their menacing appearance, however, ‘Jimmy Nardello’ chili peppers are the mildest on our list, having little or no heat at all. This makes them the perfect variety to grow if you like the flavor of these fruits, but not their spiciness, and they look good in gardens and salads.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9b and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. Itisdroughttolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 0 to 100, super mild – no heat.
10: ‘Bird’s Eye’ Thai Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Bird’s Eye’)
But we want to close our selection with a fiery end, and another classic: ‘Bird’s Eye’ Thai pepper, a chili bred from Capsicum annuum, which reaches 100,000 units on the Scoville Scale… The upward pointing fruits are conical and they ripen over 60 to 90 days, depending on the climate, and they start off green, then they turn yellow, then orange and red, to a very deep shade, like little flames on the green leaves. And, like many spicy varieties, they are quite tiny, only up to 2 inches long (5.0 cm).
‘Bird’s Eye’ Thai chili pepper is a very popular variety indeed, because it is small, it looks and it tastes hot, and it is great in veggie gardens or flower beds, but also in containers.
- Hardiness: USDA zones 9b and above.
- Light requirements: full Sun.
- Spacing: 18 inches (45 cm).
- Soil and water requirements: fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium to lightly humid loam or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral. It is drought tolerant.
- Scoville scale heat: 50,000 to 100,000, hot.
How About Growing Chili Peppers in Even Colder Climates?
So, we have seen the best chili peppers for fairly coldish climates; but how about if you live in even colder zones, like from USDA 7 downwards? Well, I want to leave you with a few final tips:
- Grow your chili peppers as annuals (Capsicum annuum is usually treated as one); they will have time to fruit and ripen anyway, or…
- Winterize your chili pepper plants. A polytunnel will suffice in milder areas, otherwise, grow them in containers and take them indoors. In the meantime, enjoy your hot and colorful chili peppers, wherever you are!
Written By
Amber Noyes
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California town, San Mateo. She holds a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco. With experience working on an organic farm, water conservation research, farmers’ markets, and plant nursery, she understands what makes plants thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health. When she’s not on the land, Amber loves informing people of new ideas/things related to gardening, especially organic gardening, houseplants, and growing plants in a small space.