How to Grow XL Cheyenne Mutant Chillies from Seed

September 17, 2026

XL Cheyenne Mutant chillies, large cayenne pods ripening orange

Chilli Growing Guides · Capsicum annuum

How to Grow XL Cheyenne Mutant from Seed

A large-podded selection out of the compact Cheyenne F1 cayenne. An unfinished line for growers who like a surprise.

Cheyenne is a compact F1 cayenne bred by Sakata and one of the most reliable patio chillies there is: bushy, heavy-cropping, around 45cm tall, with slim pods ripening green to orange. XL Cheyenne Mutant is a large-podded selection that turned up in a Cheyenne grow-out, which is where the name comes from.

It grows like any Capsicum annuum: sow in February or March at 22 to 24°C, and crop from July onwards in a pot on a sunny patio or under glass.

Please read before you sow

Cheyenne is an F1 hybrid, and seed saved from an F1 does not come true. Plants from this packet will vary. Some should show the larger pods the selection was picked for, others will revert to ordinary Cheyenne, and a few may throw something else again. This is an unfinished line rather than a fixed variety.

We are not quoting a heat figure. Cheyenne's own is disputed, with Sakata giving 2,000 to 4,000 Scoville units and most consumer sources 30,000 to 50,000, so a selection out of it could land anywhere in that spread. Expect a warm cayenne.

Quick Facts at a Glance

Species

Capsicum annuum

Heat

Variable, expect warm

Sow

February to April

Harvest

July to October

Germination

22 to 24°C

Difficulty