A review of hot pepper varieties for indoor and outdoor cultivation

It's hard to imagine various national cuisines without the addition of hot, fiery peppers. This spicy plant came to our region from Bolivia, where it has been cultivated for 6,000 years. Hot pepper is used not only in food, but is also widely used in folk medicine due to its beneficial properties.

Aurora

This mid-season variety grows to a height of about a meter. The average time from sprouting to harvest is 145-150 days. This pepper is characterized by a medium heat and stores well. It is used in all forms: for winter preserves, fresh, and dried. The fruits are elongated with a sharp, curved end, reminiscent of a trunk.

Adjika

Adjika is a mid-early variety characterized by strong, tall bushes that require no staking. It has become widely popular due to its aroma and piquant flavor.

The fruits have a rich red hue, the walls are about 3 mm thick and weigh 90 g. Up to 25 pods are formed on one bush.

Astrakhan

This variety is considered well-adapted and the most popular mid-season variety throughout Russia. It begins bearing fruit 120 days after germination. The bush is strong and spreading, semi-standard, reaching a meter in height. The plant produces a high yield of very pungent peppers.

Red peppers can be harvested over a long period of time, as this variety has a very extended fruiting period. The 10-gram fruits are cone-shaped, flat-tipped, and smooth.

Ram's horn

The Ram's Horn hot pepper is a mid-season variety. It's quite low-maintenance, but with proper care, it produces very high yields. It's extremely sensitive to high humidity and doesn't tolerate stagnant water. The fruit's distinctive color is yellow or red. Their shape truly resembles a ram's horn: the pods have an uneven, ribbed surface at the base, and the pointed tips are slightly curled.

With frequent watering, the harvest isn't as spicy, but in hot weather and infrequent watering, the peppers grow very hot. The variety transports well and maintains its marketable appearance. The plants are low, compact, and don't require staking.

Hungarian yellow

This beautiful, medium-spicy variety features yellow, slightly curved pods with pointed tips. Fruits weigh 30–45 g. Hungarian Yellow is distributed worldwide and is considered very popular among its relatives.

This variety is mid-season: harvesting begins 120 days after germination. The bushes grow low (40–45 cm) and compact, requiring no staking or stem shaping. This variety is resistant to many diseases and low temperatures.

Vizier

This hybrid matures in 150 days. The pepper gets its name from its unusual and beautiful turban-shaped fruits. Ripe fruits have a very pungent flavor and are primarily used in marinades, pickles, and preserves.

The bushes grow tall, requiring trellises, but produce fruit abundantly and for a long time. Planting and care are standard. Vizier is resistant to most common diseases.

Magic bouquet

The variety gets its name from the cluster-like arrangement of its fruits on the bushes. It's an early-ripening variety, with harvesting possible in 110–112 days. Magic Bouquet is ideal for ripening in temperate climates with short summers.

The fruits are cone-shaped with a blunt tip, medium-sharp, and very small in size with thin walls. Due to the very small size of the fruits, a yield of 1–1.5 kg per square meter is considered record-breaking.

Homer

This hybrid variety ripens early—the first harvest can be collected as early as 115 days after the growing season. The small, compact bushes produce abundant fruit over a long period.

The red fruits have an elongated cone shape with a pointed tip. This pepper is excellent for fresh eating due to its medium heat, juiciness, and thick walls. The variety is very beautiful and flawless.

Dinosaur

Plants of this hybrid boast record yields: up to 6 kg per square meter. The plant is extremely demanding of sunlight and can easily tolerate drought, heat, and temperature fluctuations. Therefore, additional light sources will be required when growing seedlings.

The upward-growing fruits are yellow and red, cone-shaped, and have very fleshy, pungent walls. The fruit length is 20-25 cm. Dinosaur is an early-ripening variety—harvesting begins 100-110 days after the growing season. The vigorous, semi-spreading bushes reach a height of 60 cm.

For the mother-in-law

This early-ripening variety reaches maturity in 115-120 days. The bushes are quite compact, reaching 60 cm in height, and require no shaping or support. Among the advantages of this variety are the uniform ripening of the peppers, high yield, and excellent transportability.

The fruits are 10-12 cm long, cone-shaped, weigh 65 g on average, have a rich red colour, a strong peppery aroma and a sharp, piquant taste.

Danube

This early-ripening variety ripens 100 days after the first shoots emerge. Danube has gained immense popularity among Russian gardeners due to its exceptionally high yields. The plant grows over a meter tall and requires support. The hybrid is highly tolerant of drought and temperature fluctuations.
The fruits are oblong in shape and green in color, but sometimes they have a red tint.

Burning nose

Another mid-season variety common in Russia: the peppers can be harvested as early as 110-115 days after germination. The plant is determinate and grows 70-75 cm tall.

The fruits are clustered on the bush like bouquets. The peppers have a strong aroma and a pungent flavor. When technically ripe, the fruits are green; when fully ripe, they are red. They weigh 20–30 g and reach 10 cm in length. The narrow, glossy fruits, thanks to their thick walls, are successfully used both fresh and in the production of spices.

Bully

This early-ripening variety produces very high yields, yielding 5–8 kg of peppers per square meter within 110 days of the growing season. The yellow and red peppers don't resemble hot peppers in appearance, as they have a trapezoidal shape like sweet varieties. However, they have a rather piquant flavor.

Bully

This mid-season variety begins bearing fruit 110-115 days after germination. The plant is compact and semi-spreading, reaching a height of 70-75 cm. Zadira is an undemanding plant, resistant to drought and temperature fluctuations, but requires ample light.

When ripe, the fruits are green or red, cone-shaped with a pointed proboscis, and weigh up to 20 g. The flesh is juicy, piquant, and medium-spicy with a subtle aroma and 2 mm thick walls. This variety is characterized by high yields: 3.5–4 kg of peppers can be harvested per square meter.

Serpent Gorynych

This mid-season variety ripens 115-120 days after germination. The plant's name speaks for itself: the fruits are characterized by a particularly pungent and piquant flavor. The bushes are low, spreading, and reach a height of up to 60 cm, requiring no staking.

The peppers, weighing 20-30 grams, are shaped like long, narrow cones of a dark red color. The walls are 2 mm thick. This variety requires adequate light and ample watering – only under these conditions will it produce abundant fruit: 5 kg of harvest per square meter can be obtained.

Impala

Impala is an early pepper variety, ripening in just 60-70 days. This hybrid has strong immunity to various pests and common diseases. The bush is massive and robust, reaching a height of 70 cm and requiring no support. It doesn't require frequent watering or full sun, and tolerates heat and drought well.

The plant produces large, long fruits weighing 80 g. When ripe, the vegetable has a deep red color and a narrow, conical shape. Its excellent flavor, aroma, and medium heat rightfully place it among the best hot pepper varieties.

Cayenne bitters

This variety begins bearing fruit as early as 110 days after vegetation and is considered a mid-season variety. This relatively new type of hot pepper has already become very popular worldwide due to its unusually hot and piquant flavor. It is known to many as Pepperoni and Chili.

The plant grows up to 60 cm in height and has branched stems. Cayenne pepper fruits come in a variety of shapes and colors: they can be spherical or pod-shaped, red, yellow, or even dark olive-colored. This variety produces an excellent harvest.

Caprice

The fruits of this unusually beautiful variety are spherical and small, resembling berries. The plant can be used in the garden not only for growing a spicy crop but also for decorative purposes. The bushes bear fruit for a long time, producing excellent yields. This low-growing pepper, only 40-50 cm tall, has a semi-spreading, dense foliage and pointed leaves.

The plant begins to bear fruit 110-115 days after germination. The fruits are small, reaching only 1.5-2 cm in diameter and weighing 2.5 g. The variety is resistant to adverse environmental conditions.

Chinese fire

Chinese Fire begins bearing fruit in 110-115 days and is a mid-season variety. The plant easily copes with hot and dry weather and requires ample sunlight. This hybrid is considered one of the best hot pepper varieties due to its intense heat. The pepper is characterized by resistance to diseases and adverse factors. Spreading bushes reach a height of about 50 cm.

The fruits are shaped like a long, curved horn, reaching 20-23 cm in length and changing color as they ripen from dark green to deep red. The peppers weigh on average 50-70 g. This variety produces an excellent harvest.

The Queen of Spades

This mid-season variety begins bearing fruit 110-115 days after germination. The low, rounded bushes reach only 20-30 cm in height and are ideal for use as a garden ornamental thanks to their attractive appearance. The plant thrives in shady areas.

The small, upward-pointing fruits are cone-shaped. As they ripen, they acquire a variety of colors: yellow, orange, purple, and when fully ripe, they turn dark red. The fruits reach 10-12 cm in length and weigh 10-12 g. The pepper's flavor is medium-hot with a hint of sweetness.

wit

This early-ripening variety, with its standard planting and care schedule, has become widespread in Russia, as it matures in just 95 days. The bush is dense, semi-standard, and medium-height (40-50 cm). The plant has a very beautiful ornamental appearance, and this is its unique feature.

The fruits are smooth and glossy, 7-8 cm long. When ripe, they have a whitish-green hue, and when fully ripe, they acquire a rich red color. This variety produces a large yield, and the flesh is juicy, aromatic, and moderately spicy. This pepper is well-adapted to northern climates, tolerating adverse conditions and low temperatures.

Mother-in-law's tongue

Teschin Tozhok is an early-ripening variety, maturing in 100 days. The bushes are quite compact, reaching 50 cm in height, requiring no staking or shaping. It is grown using standard methods in all regions of the country. The variety is resistant to tobacco mosaic, rot, and drought.

The plant produces peppers weighing approximately 50 grams. The slightly curved fruits, 10-12 cm long, are elongated and conical, and are green or red in color. The peppers are distinguished by a strong aroma and a sharp, piquant flavor.

Tula

Tulsky is an early-ripening variety—the period from first germination to fruiting is an average of 95 days. The bush is standard, semi-spreading, and reaches a height of 40-60 cm. This hybrid is rightfully considered one of the best hot pepper varieties grown in Russia, as it is perfectly adapted to local conditions, thrives in any soil, and is resistant to common nightshade diseases.

The fruits are a rich red color and weigh 15-20 g. The flesh is aromatic, juicy, and spicy, with walls about 4-4.5 mm thick. The pepper produces an excellent harvest—500-600 g of fruit can be harvested from a single bush.

Ukrainian

This is the most common mid-season hot pepper variety in Ukraine: it takes 112-118 days to reach technical maturity, and 140 days to reach biological maturity. The bushes are small, semi-spreading, and reach a height of 35-40 cm. This pepper tolerates even the lowest temperatures and is resistant to various viral diseases.

The fruits are elongated and cone-shaped with a pointed tip and a deep red color when ripe. The length of the fruits ranges from 4-9 cm, and they weigh 10-20 g. The flesh has a distinctly pungent flavor and is quite dense with thin walls. The pepper yields 1.5 kg per square meter.

Habanero

This mid-season variety, ripening in 100 days, takes its name from Havana, the capital of Cuba. The habanero originates in Mexico, and today, no Latin American dish is complete without it. However, it has adapted well to the Russian climate, but requires plenty of sunlight when growing. The habanero is a very hot pepper, and the hottest part of it is the seeds.

The fruits have a characteristic heart-shaped form, are unrivaled in beauty, and weigh approximately 15 g. At maturity, the peppers come in a variety of colors: orange, red, pink, or white. This variety has a floral aroma and is used fresh and dried in all types of cooking.

Jalapeño

The variety takes its name from the area where it grows in Mexico. This mid-season variety is widespread worldwide, beginning to bear fruit after 110 days. Although it thrives in hot conditions and is very demanding of sunlight, the plant has also adapted well to the Russian climate. The bushes are tall, reaching a height of 1 meter, and require shaping and tying.

When ripe, the fruits grow to 5-8 cm in length and weigh approximately 50 g. The peppers are narrow and conical in shape with a blunt tip. At technical maturity, the fruits are green, later turning red and acquiring a glossy sheen. The flesh is tangy with a distinct sweetness.

Dragon's tongue

Dragon's Tongue is an early-ripening variety, taking 95-105 days from sprouting to full maturity. This variety produces sturdy, spreading bushes 65-70 cm tall, producing fruits that ripen evenly. It is cold-hardy and highly resistant to common diseases, making it suitable for cultivation in all regions of Russia and requiring little care.

The narrow, red fruits have a drooping appearance on the bush and are cone-shaped with a slightly curved, pointed tip. They weigh 15-25 grams and range from 10 to 10 cm in length. The flesh has a very pleasant aroma and a strong pungency. Up to 2 kg of peppers can be harvested from a square meter of planting.

Reviews

Experienced growers of hot peppers in central Russia note that most thrive in cold climates and are easy to care for. The fruits can be consumed in a variety of ways: pickled, canned, frozen, dried, and ground. Hot peppers not only produce excellent yields but also look beautiful in a garden, displaying a rainbow of colors and captivating neighbors.

By giving the plants a little TLC, regular watering, and sunlight, spicy food lovers can enjoy the fruits of their labor all winter long.