• To not miss anything and get all the information to succeed in your pepper planting, check out our Ultimate Pepper Growing Guide

The Tabasco Pepper is a small pepper measuring 3 to 5cm long, it has a horn-like appearance and tends to grow upward. Rated between 30,000 and 70,000 on the Scoville scale, it's a hot pepper. The plant can easily reach 1m50 in height and produces in large quantities. The tabasco pepper is harvested once red.

• heat level: 30,000 to 70,000 on the Scoville scale.
• plant size approximately 150 cm.
• medium-sized fruit, approximately 4cm long.
• fruit color: yellow - green during growth, Red at maturity.
• genus: Capsicum Frutescens.
• ideal germination: between January and April.
• harvest: between September and November.

What Equipment for growing my peppers?

To optimize your results, we recommend equipping yourself with:

Tabasco Pepper Seeds.
An enclosed growing area such as a mini greenhouse.
Coco pellets, peat, or cotton (to germinate the seeds).
Labels (to avoid mixing up your seedlings).
Potting soil (ideally a mixture of 50% black peat and 50% blonde peat) or special flowering potting soil, which will also work.
Fertilizer for Peppers or Tomatoes, or 5-5-10 fertilizer for experts.
A water sprayer or watering can.
Gloves (if you don't like the feel of soil).
Pots with a diameter of 7 or 8 cm at the beginning before using 10-liter or larger pots depending on the pepper for transplanting

To make your life easier, we offer our mini greenhouse for growing your peppers.

How to Germinate my Pepper Seeds?

Planting Chili Peppers is a process that requires patience and some knowledge, but don't panic, we'll explain everything you need to know to germinate your chili seeds!

Chili seedlings are typically started early in the year, generally between January at the earliest and March for the beginning of spring. To do this, you'll need the equipment listed above.

You then have 2 options:
Plant directly in a pot full of potting soil with your seed at half a centimeter depth
Place a seed on a coco pellet or on a piece of cotton.

In both cases, once the seed is in place, you'll need to spray enough water to moisten the soil or cotton without soaking it, then place your coco pellet or cotton in a container like a mini greenhouse that will retain heat and humidity, thus providing oxygen. If you're using a flower pot, you can simply stretch plastic wrap over it and make small holes with a toothpick to oxygenate the plant.

The ideal is to maintain a constant temperature of 28 degrees. You can store your container behind a sunny window, on or near a radiator, or on a heating mat or heating pad designed for this purpose.

OUR TIP:

Place your mini greenhouse on your internet box!

Remember to ventilate your growing area from time to time to prevent the appearance of fungi while keeping the soil moist. Once the first leaves appear, you'll need to make sure to give your seedlings enough sunlight for 12 to 14 hours per day. Once the second set of leaves is well developed, you can then transplant them.

Once potted, keep your plant near a heat source and exposed to sunlight (ideally try to filter the light to avoid heat stress)

After the Ice Saints around mid-May, you can move your plant outdoors and plant your chili in the ground if you wish, or leave it in a pot and display it on a balcony, a windowsill, or even along a wall, preferably on the south side.

How to water my Tabasco Pepper?

When watering your Tabasco pepper, be careful not to overwater. Too much water can drown the plant and lead to its demise. You simply need to let the soil dry between each watering to prevent insect proliferation and drowning of the plant.

Once the plant is well developed (once your plant reaches about thirty centimeters), you can cause water stress by stopping watering the plant for several days before resuming watering (however, be careful not to abuse this technique, it would be a shame to let your pepper plant die).

How to properly prepare my harvest?

Once your chili plant is in place, here are our tips to optimize your future harvest:

When your chili plant reaches a height of 15 to 20 cm, you can pinch the top of the stem (without breaking it), which should allow the plant to grow bushier and produce a little more.

If flowering is early for one of your plants, remove the first flowers to prevent them from demanding too much energy from the plant.

If your chili plant is outdoors, insects will take care of pollinating the plant, which will then produce peppers. If your plant is indoors, you'll need to do this manually: take your clean finger and rub it lightly against each flower, from one to another.

Don't hesitate to use a bamboo stake or a rod to support your plant.

When to harvest my Tabasco Pepper?

To harvest your Tabasco pepper, as with others, you'll need to look at its color! This pepper is harvested once Red.