Chilli pepper Tabasco seeds 

These are half-hardy annuals, by the way, and are quite easy for most people to grow, especially if you have a propagator which you really need in the UK climate. One of the important points about having a propagator if that your seeds will germinate so much sooner than if you don’t have one, which means the seeds stand a better chance of germinating before they rot.

The tabasco pepper is a variety of the chili pepper species Capsicum frutescens, the Naga Jolokia which we must stress is many times hotter at circa 1,000,000 SHU’s.

No doubt you have read somewhere that Tabasco chilli peppers will make a superb addition to your patio and that you will be picking the fruit until nearly Christmas, but check on where you live before you plant any outside. Yes, the plants will grow even north of here (Derbyshire) but it is doubtful as to whether they will bear much fruit. Grow them inside, however, and you will find the Tabasco plant is truly prolific.

As I mentioned above, Tabasco chilli peppers range in heat from 30,000 to 50,000 SHU's. Compare that to an average jalapeno, which averages about 5,000 SHU and you’ll find the tabasco is 6-10 times hotter. They are more comparable to the popular cayenne pepper in heat and also flavor. It is quite a hot pepper, but fear not as we have some much, much hotter!

Tabasco pepper plants can reach a height of up to 5 feet tall (60 inches/1.5 m), though smaller plants are more normal. They’re very productive plants, holding many pepper pods at one time. The peppers start out green, then turn yellow green and ripen to bright orange then vibrant red. Peppers usually can be picked 80 days after germinating.