Numex Joe E. Parker is a chile pepper that delivers on speed and reliability, reaching harvest in just 75 days. This Anaheim-type cultivar produces long, slender peppers perfect for roasting, stuffing, or drying, thriving in full sun with straightforward care. Named after Joe E. Parker, a legendary chile breeder whose work shaped New Mexico's agricultural identity, this variety carries genuine pedigree into the home garden. Plant it 24 inches apart in warm soil and watch it produce prolifically through the season.
Full Sun
Moderate
?-?
?in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Speed matters in the pepper world, and this variety doesn't waste time, delivering mature fruit in 75 days from transplant. The long, tapered peppers are the workhorse of southwestern cooking, equally at home charred over flame, stuffed with cheese, or strung and dried for winter use. Joe E. Parker's breeding legacy ensures you're growing a pepper with real horticultural credibility, not just another generic green chile.
Roasting is where this pepper shines; the skin blisters and chars beautifully over direct heat, and the flesh becomes sweet and tender. Stuff it with cheese and bake for a classic chile relleno, or slice and add to soups, stews, and rice dishes. Many gardeners dry these peppers whole or ground them into chile powder for year-round use. Fresh, they can be eaten at the green stage or left to mature to red for sweeter, more complex flavor.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your planned transplant date. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix kept at 70°F (the minimum temperature for germination, though 70 to 90°F is ideal). Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings should be ready for transplanting around 8 to 10 weeks after sowing.
Transplant seedlings outdoors 2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date, once daytime temperatures consistently reach at least 70°F and nighttime temperatures stay above 55°F. Space plants 24 inches apart in rows that are also 24 inches apart. Handle seedlings gently and plant at the same depth they were growing in their containers. Water thoroughly after transplanting to settle soil around roots.
Direct sowing outdoors is not recommended for this variety; indoor seed starting is the advised approach.
Peppers can be harvested at the green stage around 75 days after transplanting, when they reach full size but before they begin changing color. For sweeter, more mature flavor, wait and pick them at the red stage, which will extend your harvest window by a few weeks. Cut peppers from the plant with a sharp knife or pruners rather than pulling them, which can damage the branches. Frequent harvesting encourages continued flowering and production throughout the season.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Joe E. Parker was a visionary chile breeder whose work in New Mexico fundamentally shaped how home gardeners and commercial growers think about Anaheim-type peppers. This cultivar carries his name as a tribute to his contributions to pepper breeding and his influence on chile agriculture in the American Southwest. The variety represents decades of selection for improved yields, consistency, and the flavor characteristics that make Anaheim peppers so beloved in regional cuisine.”