How to Grow Carolina Reaper Chillies from Seed

September 16, 2026

Carolina Reaper chillies with curved stinger tails

Chilli Growing Guides · Capsicum chinense

How to Grow Carolina Reaper Chillies from Seed

World record holder from 2013 to 2023, averaging 1.64 million Scoville, with red apple, peach and cinnamon notes in the second before the heat.

The Carolina Reaper held the world record for the hottest chilli from 2013 until Ed Currie's own Pepper X took it in October 2023, and it is still the most grown and most recognised superhot there is. Currie spent years at PuckerButt in Fort Mill, South Carolina, crossing a Pakistani naga with a red habanero from St Vincent, chasing a superhot that tasted of something. The working name was HP22B; the Reaper part came from the curved stinger tail on the pods.

The Guinness-certified average is 1,641,183 Scoville units, with individual pods measured over 2,200,000. A jalapeño sits at about 5,000. What makes it worth growing over other superhots is the flavour Currie got: red apple, peach and a trace of cinnamon arrive in the second before the heat does.

Quick Facts at a Glance

Species

Capsicum chinense

Heat

1,641,183 SHU average (Guinness)

Sow

December to March

Harvest

September to November

Best Grown

Heated greenhouse or conservatory

Difficulty

Full growing method

The Carolina Reaper is grown like every other Capsicum chinense. Our species guide covers sowing temperatures, potting on, feeding, pollination, overwintering and problems step by step.

Read the Capsicum chinense guide →

About this Variety

The fruit

Small pods of 5 to 7.5cm, bumpy and wrinkled with a curved stinger tail, ripening green to deep scarlet.

The flavour

Red apple, peach and a trace of cinnamon before the heat.

Parentage

Pakistani naga crossed with a red habanero from St Vincent, bred by Ed Currie.

Growing note

Germination is slow, pods take 90 to 120 days from flower, and they are only at their best fully red. Patience is the main requirement.

Safety

Wear gloves and eye protection to pick, cut or process the pods. Do not touch your face afterwards, even once washed, because the oil clings for hours. Ventilate the kitchen, since the fumes alone cause coughing and eye irritation.

Use a fraction of a pod at a time. Keep it away from children and pets. Do not eat a whole pod or attempt a challenge: people have been hospitalised doing so. If the heat gets away from you, dairy and starch help and water makes it worse.