Chilli 'Scotch Bonnet' – Very Hot Chilli Pepper (2L Pot)

Chilli 'Scotch Bonnet' is very hot and unmistakably fruity, the chilli behind a great deal of Caribbean cooking.

The wrinkled, lantern shaped fruit ripens from green to vivid red or orange and rates roughly 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville units, with a sweet, aromatic flavour underneath the heat. It is used across Caribbean, West African and South East Asian dishes. Plants make a compact bush around 60 to 90cm tall and 45 to 60cm across, cropping from mid summer into autumn. In a cool summer a greenhouse or polytunnel will get far more out of it.

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 45 to 60cm across
• Growth Habit: Compact and bushy
• Perfect For: Patio pots, containers, greenhouses, conservatories and a sunny windowsill
• Foliage: Mid green, oval leaves
• Flowering Time: Summer, 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