Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper - Vegetable Garden Seed

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The Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper (Capsicum frutescens x Capsium chinense) is the infamous pepper you've heard about! It ranks as one of the hottest peppers in the world, coming in at 1,000,000 Scolville units. And being only 2-3 inches long, it packs a lot of heat for a tiny pepper.

The Bhut Jolokia is an annual in Zones 6-13. Even if you live in the appropriate zones, we recommend growing it in a greenhouse, considering the high heat and humidity required. It will be easier to control those in a greenhouse. The soil must be between 75-90° F in order for the plant to germinate.

This ghost pepper will take some time to germinate, sometimes up to a month. Even after the plant has taken root, small flowers will appear before the pepper does. Peppers will transition from green to orange to red. When the red peppers adorn wrinkles, they are ready for harvest.

Sowing: Sow indoors if possible even if you are within the hardiness zones because Ghost Peppers need consistent heat and humidity, which can be hard thing to control when growing outdoors. A greenhouse would be the ideal growing space. Allow a month for the seeds to germinate.

Transplanting: If you insist on growing these outside, try raised beds, as the soil will remain warmer. Transplant to soil tilled or loosed to a depth of about a foot. Dig a hole at least 2x the diameter of the pot the plant was in. Fill in the soil around the root ball, ensuring that the top of the root ball is level with the ground.

Soil Preference: Keep soil warm and moist! Make sure your soil has good drainage and won't be likely to accumulate standing water at the base of the plant.

Other Tips: Some gardeners don't like the appearance of the flowering stalks, and these can be trimmed away (close to ground level). Do your best to remove dying or dead leaves. Keep away from standing water, as this can encourage leaf rot. Prolonged wet weather can also bring about rot.