The Santa Fe Grande chile pepper, also known as "Yellow hot chili pepper" and the "Guero chili pepper", is a very prolific cultivar resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. A popular variety in the southwestern United States, Santa Fe Grande hot peppers were introduced to gardeners by Peto Seeds in 1965.
The peppers grow upright on 24" plants. Santa Fe Grande's fruit have a slightly sweet taste and are fairly mild in pungency. Spicy, 4-inch peppers are a glowing gold in color and quite warm. They ripen from a pale yellow to a bright orange or fiery red. Makes pretty pickles and salsa. Ornamental plants give heavy yields over the entire summer, making this variety choice for home or market gardens. 700 Scoville Heat Units (sweet-mildly spicy). 80 days.
~ planting ~
When to start inside: RECOMMENDED. Start pepper seeds indoors in peat pots about 8 weeks before the last expected spring frost. Sow them 1/4" deep and keep the soil at 80-85 degrees F until germination; provide sunlight or a grow light for 12-16 hours a day. When the outdoor temperature reaches 60-65 degrees F during the day and no less than 50 degrees F at night, transplant the seedlings 12-16" apart. Exposing the plants to the weather for several hours a day before transplanting may help prevent shock. Peppers also grow well in containers or raised beds.
When to sow outside: 2 to 4 weeks after average last frost when air temperature is at least 70° F and soil temperature is at least 65° F.
~ harvesting ~
Harvesting hot peppers is basically a matter of personal preference. Generally, the longer the peppers mature on the vine, the hotter they will taste. Mature peppers, however, signal the plant to stop producing; if the peppers are picked when still at the green stage, the plant will go on producing. Always use a knife or scissors to remove peppers to prevent damage to the fragile stems. Santa Fe Grande peppers work equally well for salsas, pickling, and preserving.
