Chilli 'Jalapeno' – Medium Heat Chilli Pepper (2L Pot)

Chilli 'Jalapeno' is the best known chilli of them all, thick walled, slightly smoky and medium hot.

Plump green fruit ripens to deep red at roughly 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville units. Pick green for a milder flavour or leave it to redden for something sweeter and fuller. It is the chilli for salsas, nachos, stuffing and pickling. Plants grow around 60 to 90cm tall and 40 to 50cm across, cropping from midsummer through to autumn, and do well in a growbag, a container or a greenhouse border.

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: 60 to 90cm tall by 40 to 50cm across
• Growth Habit: Compact, 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 midsummer 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