VegetablePepper
Scotch Bonnet Red Pepper
The Scotch Bonnet Red Pepper is a sizzling Caribbean heat bomb that brings serious punch to any garden. This open-pollinated heirloom from Capsicum chinense packs 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units, enough to numb your lips and set your mouth on fire. Growing 24 to 36 inches tall in an upright habit, it reaches full maturity in 100 to 109 days and thrives in full sun across hardiness zones 4 through 13, making it accessible to gardeners in nearly every climate when grown as an annual.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
4-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, High Organic Matter
Growth Stats
36 in
Height
TypeUpright
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
4-13
Size
36in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
This fiery red pepper delivers heat that rivals and often exceeds the habanero, with a distinctive fruity-smoking undertone that sets it apart from milder varieties. The compact upright plant produces abundantly in garden plots, raised beds, and even greenhouses, giving you control over growing conditions. Deer leave it untouched, so you won't be guarding your harvest from wildlife.
Common Uses
This pepper excels in hot sauces, marinades for jerk cooking, and any dish where you want fruity heat with a smoking undertone. It's prized for making traditional Caribbean condiments and brings authentic fire to salsas, hot sauces, and spice blends. Many cooks dry and grind the pods for a complex powder, while others preserve them fresh or fermented to capture their distinctive fruity-smoky character year-round.
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, sowing them in warm soil around 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the seed bed consistently moist but not waterlogged. Germination typically occurs within 10 to 21 days under warm conditions.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 60 degrees. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Space transplants 18 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart.
Harvesting
Harvest peppers when they reach full red color and feel firm to the touch, typically around 100 to 109 days from transplant. Fully mature red peppers will have developed their peak heat and fruity-smoking flavor. Twist or cut peppers from the plant with a small knife to avoid damaging branches. You can harvest earlier at green stage if you prefer, but the red peppers deliver maximum heat and complex flavor.
Pruning
Pinch off the top growing tip when seedlings reach 6 inches tall to encourage branching and a bushier, more productive plant. As the plant matures, you can remove lower branches that don't receive adequate light to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Deer ResistantEdible
Scientific Classification
Capsicum chinense
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Capsicum
Growth Habit
Upright
History & Origin
“The Scotch Bonnet carries the heritage of Caribbean agriculture, where it has been cultivated for generations in Jamaica and across the Caribbean islands. As an open-pollinated heirloom, it represents seeds saved and replanted by Caribbean gardeners who recognized its exceptional heat and flavor, making it a living link to regional food traditions. The variety reached broader North American cultivation through seed companies preserving these tropical genetics, ensuring that home gardeners anywhere could grow an authentic Caribbean pepper.”