Tabasco Pepper Seeds

85 days from transplanting.

Grow a little bit of Americana with Tabasco, the native Louisiana hot pepper that sets big crops of small but deadly-hot fruit! Perennial in warm areas (it fruits for several years, the only pepper we've grown that does so reliably!), it grows readily and offers native resistance to most diseases and pests.

Tabasco is an open-pollinated heirloom with 1- to 1½-inch-long fruit that turns from green to bright red at maturity. Growing in a bushy, well-branched form, it reaches 4 feet high and sets hundreds of fruit over a long summer season. Boasting native vigor, it is left alone by pests and diseases, and does a good job keeping nibbling bugs away from the vegetable garden with its spicy scent and flavor.

These peppers really pack a wallop. They average 30,000 to 50,000 Scovilles of heat, and should be picked with gloves to avoid getting in the eye. (They will turn from green to ivory, yellow, and orange before reaching full maturity as deep red.) You may be familiar with tabasco as a vinegar-based sauce, but these peppers are also terrific for fresh eating and canning.

Best of all, the Tabasco plant is perennial in frost-free climates. Not only will it return for a second and possibly even a third season, it will flower and fruit heavily! Such generosity! No wonder southerners have been growing it since before the Civil War.

Start seeds indoors about 7 to 10 weeks before the last anticipated spring frost date. Do not transplant until the spring soil has warmed and the seedlings have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Fertilize when the blooms appear, and water well. Fruit turns from green to red as it matures.

From sweet to spicy to downright sizzling, there's a perfect Pepper for everyone! Our wide selection includes just what you're looking for -- whether you're wanting a fresh and colorful garnish for your salads or you need to spice up those Mexican and Oriental dishes or you're simply looking for a tasty and nutritious snack food, our Peppers are happy to provide. Keep reading and learn just what you need to know to grow the biggest and most delicious harvest of Peppers you've ever had! And if you've never attempted to grow these versatile veggies before, now is the time!

Choosing a Variety

When deciding what type of Peppers you want to grow, you will need to consider size, flavor, and color. In the category of sweet or salad Peppers, your choices include bell and pimento as well as some banana and cherry varieties. If heat is what you want, you can grow Habañero, Jalapeño, Anaheim, or Hungarian Peppers. Sweet and hot Peppers come in a rainbow of beautiful colors -- green, yellow, red, orange, and even purple. So not only are they delicious, they make great eye-candy!

When to Start

It's best to start your Peppers inside about 8 weeks before the last frost and at a temperature of 75-80 degrees F. They can be sown outdoors in early summer when the soil remains above 65 degrees F, but indoor germination is recommended.

How to Start

Park's Bio Dome seed starter is a great way to sow your Pepper seeds, as each Bio Sponge has a pre-drilled hole into which you can just drop one seed -- there's no need to thin seedlings or waste seeds! And you have several options, depending on how many Peppers you want to grow -- our original 60-cell Bio Dome, or our 18-cell Jumbo Bio Dome, which grows big, stocky seedlings ready to transplant right into your garden.

If you're using a potting mix, plant at a depth of 4 times the size of the seed (below a ¼ inch of soil). You can use our convenient Jiffy Pots and Strips -- Jiffy Pots are constructed of lightweight, biodegradable peat moss, so as the roots develop, they will grow right through the Jiffy Pot walls and into the garden soil.

If the room where you have your seeds isn't at least 70 degrees F, you can use a seedling heat mat to raise the temperature. As the first leaves appear, however, lower the temperature a bit, to 70-75 degrees F.

Fluorescent light for around 14 to 16 hours a day is also ideal for the fastest growth. You will want to keep the seedlings just a few inches below the light so they don't "stretch" and get "leggy". If you don't have strong artificial light, a sunny window will work, too -- just keep the clear dome on your Bio Dome to protect your seedlings from those chilly drafts.

Germination should occur in 10-15 days and fruit should appear in 50-80 days from sowing, depending on the variety.

Planting Out

About 2 weeks before your transplant date work the garden soil thoroughly, adding compost and fertilizer (use a 1-2-2 ratio fertilizer, before planting and again after 6 weeks). Then cover the soil with a tarp or plastic mulch to keep the weeds from sprouting until you're ready to plant. The use of mulch or a pop-up cold frame will also warm the soil, an important step before planting your young Peppers.

Ten days before transplanting, you'll need to start "hardening off" your young plants by setting them outdoors in a lightly shaded area for an hour or two. The next day, give them a longer visit outside until they remain outdoors overnight, still in their pots. Naturally, if a cold spell hits, bring them indoors again to wait for the temperature to rise.

Your plants are ready to be transplanted when they've developed their third set of true leaves. Plant them out 2-3 weeks after the last frost, placing them 1 foot apart in rows that are 30-36 inches apart -- Pepper plants do well close together. Site them in full sun in a rich, well-drained soil. Water well and mulch to conserve moisture. If you're growing the plants in straight rows, plastic mulch is far easier and effective than loose mulch (such as straw or pine bark).

Many varieties of pepper can be grown in containers! Be sure not to set them out until several weeks after last scheduled frost, and protect them by moving the container to a frost-free location if cold weather is anticipated. Mulch them in well, and provide support if needed. Many peppers are quite ornamental, and make splendid additions to the patio, porch, or balcony. Try Sweet Pickle for a beautiful and tasty crop!

Special Considerations

Seeds germinate faster at temperatures above 80 degrees F, although fruit set benefits from the cooler nights of late summer.

Peppers are very sensitive to extreme cold, so after you've planted your seedlings, if there's a chance of a really cold or frosty night, securely cover them with a plastic bucket or plastic bag.

Unless you have no other choice, don't plant your Peppers in the same place you planted Tomatoes, Eggplant, or Peppers the year before. These veggies all belong to the same plant family and therefore have similar nutritional needs and are susceptible to similar diseases. Their presence can deplete the soil of important nutrients and possibly leave remnants of diseases in leaf litter the following year. Of course, if you aren't sure what kind of soil you've got, you can always analyze it in seconds with our economical Veggie Grower's Test Kit.

Growing Tips

• Prepare your soil in the fall. Lay in a foot or more of bio-degradable mulch -- chopped-up leaves, grass clippings, pine bark, decayed vegetable compost, humus, and even newspaper all break down into the soil over time. This feeds the soil just what it likes so that when you approach it with a tiller or shovel in spring, it just needs to be turned over and mixed up a bit. Then top off the whole rich pile with a piece of plastic to keep the mulch "cooking" as long as possible into winter and to prevent all the good nutrients from running off in hard rains.
  
• If frost still threatens after you plant your Peppers, or if you live in a short-season climate where late frosts are just part of spring, there are ways to keep your Peppers going. One way is to place a tarp over the plants, weighting it down at the edges to keep it from blowing away. Be careful, however, not to lay the tarp or plastic directly on the plants. You will need to use blocks, sticks, or whatever you have available to form a tent over your tender young Peppers. You can uncover it during the day and re-cover it at night, or leave it in place for several days and nights without damage to the plants.
  
• Once your seedlings are in the ground, be sure they get sufficient water -- Pepper plants are quite thirsty in early growth. Also, make sure the soil is well drained to help prevent root rot. The soil's pH level should ideally be around 6.5 to begin with, then increased or decreased afterwards to determine the chosen flavor (more acidic soil will produce a sharper, hotter taste).
  
• Onions and peas are good companion plants for your Peppers. Onions repel pests like aphids, while peas fix nitrogen, and similar to Peppers, like slightly cool conditions and close quarters. Although appreciative of warm temperatures during the day, both peas and Peppers set fruit better if they can get some relief from the heat during the evenings.
  
• If necessary, stake plants when they are loaded with fruit.
  
• Pick your Peppers as soon as they're big enough to eat, or you can leave them on the plants to change color and flavor gradually. Don't pull them off, but rather cut them off cleanly -- Pepper plants are fragile and pulling the fruit off may damage the stems. If a stem does get broken, use a knife or cutter to remove it cleanly. Otherwise, no pruning is necessary.
  
• Be careful not to over-fertilize -- too much nitrogen will result in a great-looking bushy, green plant, but very little fruit.

Pests and Problems to Watch For

The most common pests you'll find on your Peppers are spider mites and aphids, with an occasional borer. You can get rid of them with the use of an organic insecticide or dust. Onions will also help repel aphids.

As far as diseases go, Peppers tend to be susceptible to the same problems as Tomatoes. They can also get fungal infections, which can be treated with a fungicide. Treat your plants as soon as you see a problem.

High temperatures and low humidity can cause Pepper plants to lose their blossoms. In turn, cool weather can keep them from flowering. Deep cultivation can also cause blossoms to drop, as it can induce water stress if feeder roots are cut.

View All Know Before You Grow Topics

• Sow indoors at 75-80°F.
• Start them 6-8 weeks before night temperatures remain above 55°F.
• Seeds can also be sown outdoors when the soil remains above 65°F in early summer.
• Indoors and out, sow at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds and expect germination in 10-15 days.
• Plants will beat fruit in 50-80 days after sowing.

This shrubby plant is grown for its edible fruit that are also highly ornamental and can be used in seasonal container displays. The fruits come in a variety of sizes, colors (green, red, yellow, orange, purple), shapes (rounded or oblong, tapered, bell-, horn-, hear-, or wedge-shaped), and degrees of sweetness and heat. Harvest them as soon as they are firm. They are edible in a variety of color stages(they mostly turn from green to red), so harvest them when they are at the right stage for that particular variety. They will hold in the field for 2-3 weeks: once harvested for a week or two.

Superior Germination Through Superior Science

First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.

Superior Standards - University Inspected

Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians

When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.

The Park Seed Gold Standard

Does Park sell GMO's or treated seeds?

What are the differences between organic, heirloom, and hybrid seed?

Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).

Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.

What are pelleted seeds? Why do you use them? How do I handle/sow them?

What is ideal temperature to germinate most seeds?

How long should grow lights be kept on per day and how close to the plants should the light be kept?

How long will seeds keep in storage?

What is the best way to store seeds over a longer time period?

What depth should I sow various seeds?