- Heirloom
- Mild
- 75 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 1,500–2,500 SHU
- Black
Black Hungarian
Heirloom mild pepper from Hungary. Mild warmth rather than heat. Ready in about 75 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Mild 1,500–2,500 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated ~1 oz (15–30 g) (estimated)
Tapered pods around 75 mm, glossy near-black before they turn red.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 75 days from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 1½–2½ ft (46–76 cm) Medium height
- Spacing
- 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Balcony friendly min. 5 gal (20 L) pot (estimated)
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Black
- Purple
- Red
- Interior
-
- Green
Heat
Scoville heat units
Mild
Black Hungarian Scoville heat units: 1,500–2,500 SHU
Warm rather than hot, around a Cubanelle, a Pepperoncini or a Shishito. Most people eat these without reaching for water.
Flavor
“Mild warmth rather than heat.”
Growing calendar
75 days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Roasting
- Canning
- Drying
- Novelty color
- Heirloom classic
- Container star
- Gift worthy
Origin
Black Hungarian is grown as much for the plant as for the pod: purple-veined leaves and lavender flowers, carrying tapered fruit that ripen from glossy near-black through to red. The heat is modest — True Leaf Market lists 1,500 to 2,500 Scoville heat units over 70 to 79 days from transplant — putting it below a jalapeno and well within reach of anyone who finds most hot peppers too much. The black stage is a colour stage, not ripeness; pods left on the plant turn red and sweeten. Pepper Joe's describes what a cut pod shows: green flesh and thick green walls behind the near-black skin.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
Questions
How do you grow a Black Hungarian plant?
A Black Hungarian plant grows 1½–2½ ft (46–76 cm) tall. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart in rows 24 in (61 cm) apart. Start seed indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost; it germinates in 7–14 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Black Hungarian take to mature?
Black Hungarian is ready in about 75 days from transplant.
How hot is Black Hungarian?
Black Hungarian sits in the mild range, about 1,500–2,500 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Black Hungarian be grown in a container?
Yes — Black Hungarian grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Black Hungarian resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Black Hungarian.
