VegetablePepper
Sandoval Pepper
Sandoval is an F1 hybrid pepper that brings serious heat and productivity to gardens across zones 4 through 13. This compact upright plant reaches just 18 to 30 inches tall, making it equally at home in containers, raised beds, or garden rows, and delivers mature peppers in just 60 to 69 days from transplant. The fruit measures about 2 inches long with medium to thick walls, shifting from green to a vibrant red as it ripens, packing 4,500 to 5,000 Scoville Heat Units of medium heat. It's a workhorse variety bred to resist common pepper challenges, including Tobacco Mosaic Virus and Bacterial Leaf Spot, so you can focus on growing rather than troubleshooting.
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
30 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Sandoval delivers compact plant architecture with serious productivity, producing abundant small peppers that mature in under 70 days. The medium heat level and thick-walled fruit make it equally suited to fresh eating and pickling, while its hybrid vigor and disease resistances keep plants vigorous even in challenging conditions. Growing in containers is straightforward thanks to its restrained size, while the consistent 2-inch fruit and predictable coloring from green to red make harvesting intuitive.
Common Uses
Sandoval peppers are best enjoyed fresh or pickled, taking advantage of their thick walls and medium heat. The small, manageable size works beautifully for whole-pepper preservation methods, while the consistent heat level makes them reliable for hot sauces, salsas, or dried applications.
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, keeping soil warmth between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit for reliable germination. Peppers are slow germinators, so be patient; seedlings typically emerge in 10 to 14 days.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors only after all frost danger has passed and soil temperatures reach at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, ideally closer to 65 to 70 degrees. Harden off plants by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days before final planting. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart.
Harvesting
Sandoval peppers are ready to pick 60 to 69 days after transplanting. Harvest fruit when it reaches full 2-inch length; peppers can be picked green or left on the plant to mature to bright red. Fruit color shift from green to red signals peak ripeness and maximum heat development. Cut peppers from the plant with pruning shears rather than pulling to avoid damaging branches.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Capsicum annuum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Capsicum
Growth Habit
Upright
Native Status
L48 (NI)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)