VegetablePepper
Super Chili Pepper
Super Chili Pepper is a compact, high-yielding hybrid that delivers serious heat in a surprisingly small package. This AAS award-winning variety produces abundant 2.5-inch fruits packed with 40,000 to 50,000 Scoville Heat Units, making it one of the most prolific hot peppers you can grow. From transplant to first harvest takes just 75 days, and the plants stay tidy at 18 to 24 inches tall, thriving in zones 4 through 13. Its combination of heat tolerance, drought tolerance, and deer resistance means you'll get a reliable, bountiful crop even in challenging conditions.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
4-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
24 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
24in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This F1 hybrid earned an AAS award for a reason: it produces an astonishing volume of small, thin-walled chili peppers on compact plants that fit almost anywhere. The fruits pack genuine heat at 40,000 to 50,000 Scoville units, yet the plant itself is remarkably efficient, handling both heat and dry spells with grace. Deer leave it alone, and it thrives equally well in containers, raised beds, or garden soil, making it the kind of variety that rewards even beginner gardeners with abundance.
Common Uses
Super Chili Pepper is grown primarily for fresh culinary heat. The small, thin-walled fruits are ideal for drying into crushed pepper flakes, stringing into decorative ristras, or processing into hot sauces and salsas where their high Scoville rating delivers genuine bite. Fresh peppers can be used whole or sliced into dishes that benefit from concentrated heat, and their size makes them manageable for both cooking and preservation.
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. Maintain soil temperature between 70 and 85°F for reliable germination. Seeds typically sprout within 7 to 14 days under warm conditions.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date and once nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 55°F. Space transplants 18 inches apart with 36 inches between rows. Harden off seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days before planting to avoid transplant shock.
Harvesting
Peppers are ready to harvest 75 days after transplanting. Pick fruits when they reach about 2.5 inches long; they can be harvested while still green or left on the plant to fully mature to their final color for maximum heat development and flavor concentration. Use scissors or a knife to cut peppers from the stem rather than tugging them off by hand, which can damage the plant. Continued harvesting encourages more fruit production.
Pruning
As an upright, compact plant, Super Chili Pepper requires minimal pruning. Pinch off the central growing tip when plants reach 6 inches tall to encourage lateral branching and a bushier habit; this increases flower production and overall yield. Remove any diseased or damaged leaves as they appear, and you may thin interior foliage slightly after flowering begins to improve air circulation.
Growing Calendar
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Deer ResistantEdible
Scientific Classification
Capsicum annuum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Capsicum
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (NI)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)
History & Origin
“Super Chili Pepper represents modern breeding at its finest. Developed as an F1 hybrid, it was specifically engineered to combine compact growth, exceptional productivity, and robust pest and disease tolerance into a single plant. The fact that it earned recognition as an AAS winner speaks to its reliability and superior performance across diverse growing regions. This is a variety bred for efficiency and abundance, designed for gardeners who want impressive yields from minimal space.”