How to Grow Kilian Chillies from Seed
A Czech cayenne with slim golden-orange pods, heavy even crops, and lab-tested heat. A drying chilli above all.
Kilian is a Czech cayenne from the SEMO breeding house at Smržice. Slim pointed pods about 8cm long ripen from green to a deep golden orange, and the plants crop heavily and evenly.
The heat is worth being straight about. Most sellers quote 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units. Sea Spring Seeds, who send dried fruit from every crop to Warwick University for HPLC analysis, measured theirs at 27,000. So it is a hot chilli, well above a jalapeño, but at the lower end of what the packets claim.
Species
Capsicum annuum
Heat
27,000 SHU (lab tested)
Sow
February to April
Harvest
July to October
Pods
About 8cm, golden orange
Difficulty
Full growing method
Kilian is grown like every other Capsicum annuum. Our species guide covers sowing, potting on, feeding and problems step by step.
Read the Capsicum annuum guide →About this Variety
The fruit
Slim pointed pods about 8cm, green to deep golden orange.
Drying
Thin walls make it a drying chilli above all, excellent strung up or ground into powder.
Stake early
Plants go top-heavy and flop under a full crop. Put a cane in early.
Keep it watered
It resents drying out. Let the compost go dry and the plant checks, and you lose the crop you were building.
Handling
Wear gloves when cutting 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
A golden Czech cayenne for drying
Sow in spring, stake early and keep it watered, and string up heavy crops of golden pods.
Shop Kilian Seeds →