The Link Between A Pepper's Spice And How Long It Takes To Grow

If you're a fan of peppers and want to grow your own, the sheer number of varieties to choose from can be overwhelming. Spices Inc suggests there are at least 4,000 types of pepper, and if you include the wild varieties, that number can be as high as 50,000. You have many options, from everyday red, yellow, and green bell peppers to fiery hot Pepper X peppers, but when it comes to how long they take to grow, the spice level is key. The hotter a pepper is, the longer it will take to reach maturity.

Sweet peppers can be ready for harvest in as little as 60 days. For a ghost pepper to reach that same stage of readiness, you may need to wait twice as long — anywhere from 100 to 120 days. The longer maturation period is largely due to the heat-producing compounds in the pepper needing time to develop.

When you're dealing with sweet peppers, all you need to worry about is that they reach full size and ripeness. At that point, they are ready to harvest and enjoy. But hot peppers gradually develop capsaicinoids, the compounds that make the vegetables hot. The process begins soon after pollination, with the chemicals accumulating as the pepper grows. By the time the vegetable reaches full size, it could be harvested, but allowing it to continue to grow and mature will increase its heat.

If you're one of those people who loves super-hot peppers (like these 21 varieties), you still need to be careful about growing them. The heat of this veggie does not increase indefinitely. Once it has achieved ripeness, you only have a limited window for harvest. After reaching peak ripeness, the capsaicinoids begin to decline — sharply at first before they gradually continue to drop off, creating a milder pepper. That's not to say that you can turn a ghost pepper into a sweet bell pepper — it just won't be as hot as if you'd harvested at the right time.

To get the maximum heat, hot peppers should be harvested when they start to change color. So whether your pepper turns red, orange, or purple, watch for when the green starts to fade. Hot peppers also show signs of corking, which are stretch mark-like lines on the outer skin. Seeing both corking and a color change means it's time to harvest. For those who don't want heat, there are some pepper varieties that can be harvested even before 60 days, such as Pot-o-Peno jalapenos.