How to Grow Cayenne Chillies from Seed
The most quietly useful hot chilli you can grow: long scarlet pods, clean peppery heat, and thin walls that dry and grind into your own cayenne.
The name is so familiar that most people have stopped thinking of cayenne as a variety at all. It is the orange-red powder in the spice rack and the yardstick most cooks measure their tolerance against. It is also a specific old cultivar, and it remains the most quietly useful hot chilli you can grow here.
The flavour is the one you already know: sharp, clean, peppery and direct, with a bright acid finish, no smoke and no sweetness. That plainness is the point. If you grow only one hot chilli, this is the sensible choice.
Species
Capsicum annuum
Heat
30,000 to 50,000 SHU
Sow
February to April
Harvest
August to October
Plant Height
60 to 120cm
Difficulty
Full growing method
Cayenne is grown like every other Capsicum annuum. Our species guide covers sowing, potting on, feeding, outdoor growing and problems step by step.
Read the Capsicum annuum guide →About this Variety
The fruit
Long, slim, slightly curved pods of 10 to 25cm, ripening glossy green to bright scarlet.
The heat
About ten times a jalapeño, where most home cooks and sauce makers want to be.
Drying
The thin pods dry and grind easily into your own cayenne powder.
The plant
Bushy, quick and far less temperamental than superhots. A mature plant carries dozens of pods.
Handling
Wear gloves when cutting, deseeding or grinding, and keep your hands away from your eyes and face.
Sowing & Harvest Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Sow under cover | ||||||||||||
| 🪴 Final pots | ||||||||||||
| 🌶️ Harvest |
Variety Specifications
If you grow one hot chilli, grow this
Sow in spring, pick scarlet pods from August, and grind your own cayenne for the year.
Shop Cayenne Seeds →