Anaheim vs poblano: two mild peppers compared for the garden
Oct 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Both are mild and their heat ranges overlap. The pod shape and the plant set them apart. Compared from two named varieties.
Anaheim and poblano are both mild, large-podded peppers. Both are Capsicum annuum and both ripen from green to red. Seed is sold by variety, so this page compares two named ones: Anaheim TMR, a New Mexican type bred for resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, and Ancho San Luis, a poblano.
How hot each one is
| Scoville range | heat class | |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim TMR | 1,000–5,000 SHU | mild |
| Ancho San Luis (poblano) | 1,500–4,500 SHU | mild |
The two ranges overlap almost completely. No seller publishes a Scoville figure for Anaheim TMR itself, so its range is the one UF/IFAS gives for the Anaheim type. UF/IFAS puts the poblano type lower, at 1,000 to 2,000. Ancho San Luis is sold as a hotter poblano, and Tomato Growers Supply lists it at 1,500 to 4,500.
Telling them apart by sight
| Anaheim TMR | Ancho San Luis | |
|---|---|---|
| pod | long, straight and smooth, about 190 by 50 mm, roughly four times as long as broad | flattened and heart-shaped, 100 to 130 mm long, about half as wide as long |
| ripe colour | deep green to red | dark green to red, then reddish brown to mahogany |
Long and narrow means Anaheim. Short, broad and heart-shaped means poblano.
Growing either one
| Anaheim TMR | Ancho San Luis | |
|---|---|---|
| days to harvest | 75 | 75–80 |
| plant | tall and productive | vigorous, about 76 cm |
| disease resistance | tobacco mosaic virus | none stated |
| spacing in the row | 46 cm | 46 cm |
The seasons are close. Tomato Growers Supply gives Anaheim TMR 75 days. For Ancho San Luis the compendium gives 75 to 78 days and the shop 76 to 80. Where tobacco mosaic has been a problem, the TMR line is the safer choice. Sow both indoors ahead of your last frost: look yours up by ZIP code.
The short version
The heat is about the same. Grow the Anaheim for long, straight pods and mosaic resistance. Grow the poblano for broad pods, used fresh or dried as ancho.