- Heirloom
- Mild
- 75 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 4,000–5,000 SHU
- Red
Chimayo
Chimayo Chile
Heirloom mild pepper from United States. Thin-skinned pods that dry quickly; Sandia Seed describes the flavor as sweet before the heat. Ready in about 75 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 27, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Mild 4,000–5,000 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated ~1 oz (15–30 g) (estimated)
Long tapering pod 130 to 180 mm long and slim, thin-skinned and often slightly twisted, ripening from green to red.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 75 days from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 2–2½ ft (61–76 cm) Medium height
- Spacing
- 30 × 36 in (76 × 91 cm) (estimated)
- 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
-
- Red
- Green
Heat
Scoville heat units
Mild
Chimayo Scoville heat units: 4,000–5,000 SHU
Warm rather than hot, around a Cubanelle, a Pepperoncini or a Shishito. Most people eat these without reaching for water.
Flavor
“Thin-skinned pods that dry quickly; Sandia Seed describes the flavor as sweet before the heat.”
Growing calendar
75 days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 8–10 (estimated) 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
- Drying
- Sauce & paste
- Roasting
- Short season
- Sauce workhorse
- Rare collector
Origin
Chimayo is a landrace chile of the Chimayo valley in northern New Mexico, kept by local farmers through generations of seed saving rather than bred by a company. It is grown mostly to be dried red and ground for red chile sauce. Sandia Seed lists it as an open-pollinated Capsicum annuum with thin-skinned pods 5 to 7 inches long, 4,000 to 5,000 Scoville heat units, 75 days from transplant and plants 24 to 30 inches tall. The Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions compendium lists it through Plants of the Southwest as an heirloom New Mexican type suited to short seasons, and calls it very hot; that is well above Sandia's measured range, so the heat here follows Sandia's figure.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
Questions
How do you grow a Chimayo plant?
A Chimayo plant grows 2–2½ ft (61–76 cm) tall. Space plants 30 in (76 cm) apart in rows 36 in (91 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 14–28 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Chimayo take to mature?
Chimayo is ready in about 75 days from transplant.
How hot is Chimayo?
Chimayo sits in the mild range, about 4,000–5,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Chimayo be grown in a container?
Yes — Chimayo grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Chimayo resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Chimayo.
