African Hot Pepper Seeds (10 Seeds)

African Hot Pepper F1 is a hybrid chili grown for its intense, fiery heat and clean, sharp flavour. The plant is vigorous and heavy-bearing, carrying clusters of slender, glossy fruits that ripen to a deep, vivid colour. Picked green it brings a bright, pungent bite, while fruits left to ripen on the plant develop a deeper, hotter flavour. It is a favourite for fresh salsas and hot sauces, for pickling, and for drying, and its abundant fruit also makes it an attractive, ornamental plant on a sunny balcony or in the field.

Planting

Hot chili needs a long, warm season, so get a head start by sowing indoors 8 to 10 weeks before your last expected frost date (some hot types need up to 12 weeks). Sow the seeds about 0.6 cm deep in a sterile, soilless germination mix. Keep them warm at around 21°C to germinate; a heat mat held at 27-32°C speeds up and improves emergence, and seeds usually sprout in about 10 days. Once seedlings appear, grow them on at 16-18°C in bright light. Thin or prick out the seedlings when their true leaves show so they stand 5-8 cm apart, or pot each one on when it is about 2-3 cm tall. Move plants outdoors only after night-time lows stay above 10°C and the soil has warmed to at least about 18°C. Pick the warmest, sunniest spot you have: peppers want full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day, with 8-10 hours preferred. Space the transplants 30-60 cm apart in the row, with rows about 75-90 cm apart; for compact dwarf types, 30 cm between plants is enough, and a single plant suits a 22 cm pot.

Fertilizing

Before transplanting, work a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 13-13-13 into the soil, at a rate of roughly 1 kg per 9 m², adjusting phosphorus and potassium according to a soil test, and keep the soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Once the first fruits have set, side-dress with nitrogen to support continued growth and fruiting. Go easy on nitrogen overall, since an excess produces bushy, leafy plants that are slow to bear. For plants in containers or under glass, feed weekly with a high-potassium liquid fertiliser, such as a tomato feed, as soon as flowering begins, to push the plant toward fruit rather than leafy growth.

Care

Keep soil moisture even throughout the season. If the plants do not get about 2.5 cm of rain a week, soak the soil thoroughly at least once a week, and water at the base using drip irrigation or soaker hoses rather than overhead watering, which helps reduce disease. Watch for common pests such as cutworms, aphids, tomato hornworms and stink bugs, plus corn borer, earworm and armyworm in the field; common diseases include bacterial leaf spot, bacterial wilt and viruses, while blossom-end rot and sunscald are physiological problems to look out for. Peppers are usually ready 70-85 days after transplanting (habanero types take about 90-120 days). Pick the first fruits promptly once they reach full size to encourage more fruit to set. You can harvest the chilies green or leave them to ripen and change colour for a hotter flavour, but bear in mind that letting them ripen fully suppresses new flowers and can cut the total harvest by 25% or more, so picking green maximises overall yield.

Growing in Egypt: Hot chili is a warm-season, frost-sensitive crop. The main planting is a spring crop: start seeds indoors or under protection from late December to February (the 8-10 week lead before transplanting), then move plants outdoors once the cold spells pass. In the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt, transplant from late February to March for a harvest from May into summer; in the warmer, earlier-warming soil of Upper Egypt, transplant a few weeks earlier from mid-February. Because Egyptian summers regularly top 30°C, which suppresses flowering and causes flower and fruit drop, aim to have plants flowering and setting fruit before peak heat, with the heaviest harvest falling in late spring to early summer. A second autumn crop is possible: sow in summer (July-August) under shade and transplant in late August-September for a cooler-weather harvest into November-December, since Egypt's mild winters rarely bring killing frost, especially in the Delta and Upper Egypt. Protect young transplants from any January cold snaps, particularly in the Delta. Throughout, give the plants full sun (6-10 hours a day), even moisture via drip irrigation, and high-potassium feeding once flowering starts.