VegetablePepper
Wicked Ghost Pepper
The Wicked Ghost Pepper is an F1 hybrid that amplifies the legendary heat of the Ghost pepper into a plant bred for speed and abundance. Maturing in 110 to 119 days from transplant, this Capsicum chinense produces wrinkled, 2.5-inch peppers packed with 700,000 to 900,000 Scoville Heat Units, making it one of the most fiercely hot peppers you can grow. It reaches 24 to 36 inches tall in full sun and thrives in hardiness zones 4 through 13, bringing extreme heat to gardens across nearly the entire United States. Deer won't touch it, and high yields reward patient gardeners with abundant harvests.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
4-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, High Organic Matter
Growth Stats
36 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
36in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This hybrid delivers Ghost pepper intensity without the years-long wait, producing heavy yields of wrinkled, habanero-like peppers on a compact upright plant. At 700,000 to 900,000 Scoville units, it ranks among the hottest peppers available to home gardeners, yet it matures relatively early for such an extreme variety. The compact growth habit (24 to 36 inches) makes it suitable for garden plots, raised beds, and even greenhouse cultivation, while its deer resistance means you won't lose your harvest to wildlife.
Common Uses
This pepper exists for one purpose: delivering extreme heat to those who crave it. Home hot sauce makers prize it for its concentrated Scoville punch and wrinkled texture, which signals mature heat development. The abundant yields suit anyone who preserves peppers for the year ahead, whether drying them whole, smoking them for deep flavor, or fermenting them into intense hot sauces. It serves serious pepper enthusiasts and competitive heat seekers rather than culinary explorers looking for nuanced flavor.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Keep soil warm, ideally between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, to encourage germination. Pepper seeds germinate slowly, often taking 10 to 14 days; provide bottom heat if possible to speed emergence.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, ideally closer to 70 degrees. Harden off plants over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Space plants 18 inches apart with 36 inches between rows.
Harvesting
Peppers mature to full heat around 110 to 119 days after transplanting, at which point they develop their characteristic wrinkled texture and deep color. Harvest peppers when fully mature and the skin shows wrinkles; the wrinkled appearance signals that the peppers have concentrated their heat and flavor. Use pruning shears to cut peppers from the plant rather than pulling, which can damage branches. Continued harvesting encourages the plant to produce more flowers and fruit throughout the growing season.
Pruning
Pinch back the growing tip when plants reach 8 to 10 inches tall to encourage a fuller, bushier growth habit and more side branches, which leads to higher yields. Remove any lower branches that touch the ground as plants mature to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Deer ResistantEdible
Scientific Classification
Capsicum chinense
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Capsicum
Growth Habit
Upright
History & Origin
“The Wicked Ghost Pepper represents a deliberate breeding effort to harness the infamous Ghost pepper, one of the world's hottest peppers historically grown in India's Assam region. This hybrid crosses Ghost pepper genetics to create an early-maturing, high-yielding plant that brings that legendary extreme heat within reach of home gardeners across North America. Rather than preserving a single heirloom line, the F1 hybrid status means breeders selected parent plants to deliver consistent performance, early maturity, and abundance, making the challenge of growing world-class hot peppers accessible to more gardeners.”