Description
Orange Habanero is amongst the hottest commonly grown hot peppers in the world with a heat rating of around 250,000 to 350,000 Scoville Units. Once thought to be the hottest chilli in the world, the Habanero (means from Havana) is fiery hot and extremely pungent. The fruits are lantern shaped, small and wrinkled, ripening from green to light orange. Closely related to the Scotch Bonnet and commonly used in Mexican and Caribbean cuisine.
The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chilli peppers such as the jalapeño, the bhut jolokia, and the world's current hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper, or other spicy foods as reported in Scoville heat units (SHU), a function of capsaicin concentration. Capsaicin is one of many related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test.
| When to Sow | Sow indoors January to April. |
| Where to Sow | Sow seeds 0.5cm (1/4in) deep, in modules or trays filled with moist compost and place in a warm light position such as a south facing windowsill or where temperature is 18–21°C (65 to 70°F). |
| Likes a sunny position. | |
| Prefers well drained soil that must be kept moist. | |
| What to do Next | When the seedlings are about 15cm (6in) high, transplant to their final growing positions planting 40cm (16in) apart if in a bed or 2 to 3 plants per pot/container. |
| Give a nitrogen feed once 2 to 3 chillies have appeared. | |
| Harvest | Harvest in 18 to 20 weeks, from July to October. |
| Habanero chillies have a heat rating of around 250,000 to 350,000 Scoville Units. By comparison, the average jalapeño peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8000 on the Scoville scale. | |
| Wash your hands immediately after handling chillies. | |
| All chillies are better grown in a pot or container because the soil can warm up quickly. | |
| If you have only one chilli growing and you see no others forming, pick it, this will encourage more to grow. | |
| Companion Planting | Hot peppers like to be grouped with cucumbers, aubergine, tomato, okra, Swiss chard and squash. |
| Nutritional Information | Chillies are rich in antioxidant plant compounds that have been linked with various health benefits. Most notable is capsaicin, which is responsible for the pungent (hot) taste of chilli peppers. |
| Serving Suggestion | Fantastic in salsas and hot and fiery sauces. |
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