
Tabasco Pepper plants are bushy and compact and produce many peppers at a time. The small, thin peppers are hot and ripen from green to orange then red. The origin of the Tabasco pepper is a little hazy. Some say that it originated in southeast Mexico but doesn’t appear to grow there now. Others believe that an amateur botanist collected some chili pepper seed from a trip to Mexico and cultivated them. Then he gave some to Edmund McIlhenny who grew the peppers on his property in Louisiana and then created Tabasco Pepper Sauce in 1868. Tabasco is a Native American word that means damp and humid place, which was the climate on Avery Island where Mr. McIlhenny grew them.
Being sensitive to the cold, planting should be delayed until the danger of frost is past in the spring. Ideal temperatures are 70 to 80 degrees F during the day, and 60 to 70 degrees F at night. Usually, the plants set satisfactory crops when temperatures are between 65 and 80 degrees F and the soil is well-supplied with moisture. Avoid a soggy, water-logged soil condition when growing peppers.
Size: 1204
Spacing: Plant 18″ apart.
Height: Grows 24″ to 36″ tall.
How To Grow: Plant in full sun.
Outstanding Features: Can be grown as a potted plant on a well lit patio.
Tips: Caution: they are hot! Water plants thoroughly after transplanting. Avoid planting under conditions that will stunt the plants and lead to poor production, such as cold weather, lack of sufficient soil moisture, or lack of sufficient fertilizer. Water deeply but not too often.
Uses: Garden Vegetable/Fruit