Cultivate Fiery Hot Peppers in Your Garden
Hotter Chillies 101
Every year, chilli enthusiasts worldwide strive to cultivate spicier and spicier peppers. Here's a guide to growing super-hot chillies that'll set your taste buds ablaze!
The Scoville Scale
Measuring the heat of a chilli is done through the Scoville scale. Created in 1912, the scale quantifies the Scovilles by the amount of dilution required before a human taster can no longer detect the pepper's heat. Today, testing is typically done by machines, but the principle remains the same. A standard pepper scores around 3,000 Scovilles. Records have seen chillies top the million mark!
Super-Hot Chillies to Grow
These fiery peppers must be handled with care. They are as tricky as they are hot!
- Chilli 'Bhut Jolokia'
- Heat: 1,001,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Hard
- Chilli 'Chocolate Habanero'
- Heat: 425,000 – 600,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Hard
- Chilli 'Paper Lantern'
- Heat: 350,000 – 450,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Medium
- Chilli 'Scotch Bonnet'
- Heat: 200,000 – 350,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Hard
- Chilli 'Habanero'
- Heat: 100,000 – 350,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Hard
- Chilli 'Apache'
- Heat: 70,000 – 80,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Easy
- Chilli 'Pot Black'
- Heat: 45,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Easy
- Chilli 'Numex Twilight'
- Heat: 30,000 – 50,000 Scovilles
- Growing difficulty: Easy
Spicy TriviaThe spiciest part of a chilli lies in the placenta – the white, pithy strip that attaches the seeds to the pod. To tone down the heat before cooking, remember to remove both the seeds and the placenta. The tip of the fruit, furthest from the stalk, is usually the mildest bit.
Growing super-hot chillies can be quite a challenge, but with the right care and attention, you too can tackle the hottest peppers on the planet! Make sure to provide them with enough heat and humidity, just like their tropical origin requires, and you'll soon be reaping a bountiful harvest of scorching-hot treats!
Cultivating a lifestyle that includes home-and-garden activities can lead to the growth of home-grown spicy treats, such as super-hot chillies. For instance, the Bhut Jolokia, with a heat level of 1,001,000 Scovilles, and the Chocolate Habanero, with a heat range of 425,000 to 600,000 Scovilles, are some of the fiery peppers that can be grown with utmost care and dedication.
