Capsicum annuum 'Jalapeno' (Chilli)

Common name: Jalapeño Chilli

Description: Capsicum annuum 'Jalapeño' is the world's most widely used chilli pepper, producing thick-walled, cylindrical fruits that are typically harvested green but ripen to red when left on the plant. With a Scoville rating of 2,500–8,000 SHU, it offers a bright, clean heat with excellent flavour — versatile enough for fresh salsas, pickling, stuffing, or smoking to make chipotle. Plants are compact, bushy, and reliably productive in UK conditions, performing well in pots on a sunny patio as well as in a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Other benefits: the world's best-known chilli; excellent thick-walled fruits for cooking and preserving; reliable in UK patio containers; compact bushy habit

Wildlife attraction: bees and other pollinating insects

Height & spread (approx.) at maturity: 60–75cm x 45cm

Position: full sun; patio containers, greenhouse, or warm sheltered border

Soil pH: slightly acid to neutral (pH 6.0–7.0); fertile, well-drained soil or compost

Moisture: regular watering required; high-potash liquid feed once flowering begins

Winter hardiness: frost tender; grow as an annual from spring