Chilli 'Hungarian Hot Wax' – Medium Heat Chilli Pepper (2L Pot)

Chilli 'Hungarian Hot Wax' is a reliable, heavy cropping variety with long, tapered fruit and a moderate heat.

Fruit ripens from pale yellow green through orange to red, so you can pick at whatever stage suits, and the heat runs roughly 1,000 to 15,000 Scoville units. It is the one to grow for pickling and stuffing as well as for salsas and fresh use. Plants make a bushy, upright plant around 45 to 60cm tall and 30 to 45cm across, cropping from mid summer into autumn.

Supplied as one well established plant in a 2L pot, ready to pot on or plant out once the risk of frost has passed. Give it the warmest, sunniest spot you have, water regularly and feed with a high potassium feed once the first fruit sets. Chillies are not hardy and are killed by the first frost, so keep plants under cover until the nights are warm and bring them in again before the weather turns. A sunny windowsill or a conservatory suits them as well as a sheltered patio. Pinch out the growing tip at around 30cm for a bushier plant and a heavier crop.

Chilli fruit and foliage can irritate the skin and eyes, and can cause irritation if eaten, so wash your hands after picking and keep plants out of reach of children and pets.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Chilli pepper
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: 45 to 60cm tall by 30 to 45cm across
• Growth Habit: Bushy and upright
• Perfect For: Patio pots, containers, greenhouses, conservatories and a sunny windowsill
• Foliage: Mid green, oval leaves
• Flowering Time: Summer, small white flowers, with fruit from mid summer to autumn
• Planting Position: Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot. Grows well in a pot or container
• Soil Type: Fertile, moisture retentive and well drained
• Hardiness: Not hardy. Killed by the first frost, so plant out only once the frosts have passed
• Maintenance: Low to moderate. Water regularly, feed with a high potassium feed once the first fruit sets and pick often to keep the crop coming
• Seasonal Interest: Spring, summer and autumn
• Type: Tender annual, grown as an annual in Britain