Bulgarian Carrot Chile Pepper is a compact, ornamental hot pepper that lives up to its name with a distinctive carrot-like shape and brilliant orange color. Reaching just 18 inches tall with peppers that stretch 2 to 2½ inches long, this variety packs surprising heat behind its cute appearance and extremely shiny skin. Ready to harvest in just 70 days, it thrives in warm climates (zones 9-11) and rewards gardeners with prolific yields of thin-walled, golden-to-orange peppers that transition from one vibrant hue to another as they mature.
Full Sun
Moderate
9-11
18in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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The magic here is in the contradiction: adorable carrot-shaped peppers with serious bite and jewel-bright coloring that shifts from gold to saturated orange. Thin walls make these peppers perfect for drying or fresh use, and the compact 18-inch plant size means you can tuck them into containers, borders, or tight garden spaces without sacrificing production. The extremely shiny skin catches light beautifully, giving the plants themselves an almost decorative quality even as they're producing substantial heat.
Bulgarian Carrot Chiles excel fresh in salsas and hot sauces where their thin walls break down quickly and their heat shines through. The thin flesh makes them exceptional candidates for drying, stringing, or smoking. Many growers treasure them for their ornamental presence in the garden while still delivering genuine culinary heat to the kitchen.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Pepper seeds require steady warmth to germinate and perform poorly in cool soil, so use a heat mat to maintain soil temperature between 70-85°F. Place seeds in a warm spot like above the refrigerator or near a consistent heat source if a mat is unavailable. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged during germination.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date once soil has warmed to at least 60°F, spacing plants 18 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before planting. Choose a location in full sun where the soil has been enriched with compost or aged manure.
Peppers can be harvested at any stage from green through gold to fully saturated orange, though waiting for the orange stage develops maximum flavor and heat. Expect first peppers around 70 days from transplanting. Harvest by cutting or gently snapping peppers from the plant; the thin walls are delicate but the stem is sturdy. Leaving mature peppers on the plant encourages continued flowering and fruiting throughout the season.
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