Hot Lemon Pepper

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

18 - 24 Inches

Mature Spread

12 - 18 Inches

Hot Lemon Pepper ripens to sunny lemon yellow, but also packs flavor in its fruit while the peppers still are green. That means pepper lovers can harvest some milder peppers after about 2 months of growth and hotter yellow peppers from Hot Lemon a week or two later. In fact, harvesting a few early green peppers helps the plant keep producing more fruit during the growing season. The 3- to 4-inch long fully ripened fruits are as hot as any Cayenne pepper.

At 30,000 Scoville units, Hot Lemon Pepper ranks up there among the medium-hot peppers. It is an excellent choice for hot sauces or drying. Hot Lemon is an heirloom pepper native to Ecuador. Its spicy flavor makes hot but easy-on-the-mouth sauces or dried pepper.

Kitchen Minis™ Hot Lemon Pepper Plant Care

Plant Hot Lemon Pepper after the last frost date and when spring temperatures warm up to about 60 degrees at night. Peppers need plenty of sun and heat to grow and gain the hot flavor for which they're known. Space Hot Lemon plants about 2 to 3 feet apart for best health. The ground, raised bed or container soil needs to be fertile, or have lots of organic matter. This helps feed the plant and helps the soil drain well.

Growing Hot Lemon Peppers

Hot Lemon Pepper should start to grow within the first week or two of planting, eventually reaching 2 feet high and about 18 inches around. The fully ripened yellow peppers will be ready to harvest between 70 and 80 days after planting. The plant will thrive in full sun. Although this compact pepper can grow well in containers, it needs outdoor sun and heat; it won't produce good fruit if grown indoors.

With its compact size, green leaves and lemon-yellow peppers, Hot Lemon is a fun pepper to grow in a container. Choose a container that drains well and is at least 18 to 24 inches wide and 18 inches deep. Place the pot where it gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Container peppers need water a little more often than those grown in the ground, but it is easy to check if soil is wet an inch or two down. Water slowly and deeply.

Watering Hot Lemon Pepper Plants

Hot Lemon Pepper needs a good soaking right after planting. After a few weeks, the plant needs 1 to 2 inches of rain or irrigation each week. Watering constantly and slowly will lead to the best results.

Feeding Hot Lemon Pepper Plants

Hot Lemon Pepper needs little fertilizing, just fertile soil. Gardeners can fertilize the pepper once a month with a balanced fruit and vegetable food. It also can help to add a little compost to the soil around the plant after a month or so to add some slow and steady nutrition.

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