Early Jalapeno Pepper lives up to its name with peppers ready to harvest in just 66 days from transplant, making it one of the fastest jalapeños to reach your kitchen. This Capsicum annuum cultivar produces the classic green jalapeño heat and flavor home gardeners crave, thriving in full sun with consistent moisture. Plant it 12 inches apart in rows spaced 24 inches apart, and you'll have fresh peppers well before season's end.
12
Full Sun
High
9-11
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High
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Speed is this variety's signature trait. At 66 days to harvest, Early Jalapeno outpaces many standard jalapeño varieties, letting you pick green peppers at their most tender and flavorful stage. The peppers reach full ripeness and develop their deepest flavor when they turn red, yellow, or orange, though most gardeners harvest them in the classic green stage for that bright, snappy heat. Start seeds indoors 8 to 12 weeks before your transplant date, and you'll have thriving seedlings ready to go into the ground once they've developed their second set of true leaves.
Early Jalapeno peppers are a staple for fresh salsa, sliced into nachos, stuffed whole and roasted, or pickled for long-term storage. Their compact size makes them ideal for grilling whole, and home cooks prize them for hot sauces and garnishes where the bright green color and crisp texture matter as much as the heat.
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Start seeds in trays 8 to 12 weeks before your anticipated transplant date. Once seedlings have developed 2 sets of true leaves, they're ready for hardening off and moving outdoors.
Transplant seedlings outdoors once they've been hardened off and soil temperatures have stabilized. Space transplants 12 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart.
Direct sowing is not recommended for Early Jalapeno; indoor transplanting gives you a head start on the 66-day clock.
Begin harvesting green peppers at 66 days from transplant for classic jalapeño flavor and heat. Peppers reach their full size and can be picked at the firm green stage. For the most flavor and vitamins, allow peppers to mature further and turn red, yellow, purple, or orange before harvesting, though this extends the calendar. Cut peppers from the plant rather than pulling to avoid damaging branches.
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