- Open-pollinated
- Hot
- 90 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- 30,000–50,000 SHU
- Red
Tabasco
Open-pollinated hot pepper from Mexico, 1848. Small erect fruit on a tall plant, thin-fleshed and juicy, ripening yellow to red with clean, biting heat. Ready in about 90 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 18, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Hot 30,000–50,000 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated <1 oz (2–4 g) (estimated)
Slender pods about 35 by 8 mm that stand erect, pointing upward from the stem.
- Species
- Capsicum frutescens
- Days to harvest
- 90 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 3½ ft (100 cm) Tall
- Spacing
- 12 × 18 in (30 × 46 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
Heat
Scoville heat units
Hot
Tabasco Scoville heat units: 30,000–50,000 SHU
Properly hot, the Tabasco, Cayenne Purple and Aji Amarillo band, with Chiltepin at the top of it. Used in small amounts, seeds removed if you want less.
Flavor
“Small erect fruit on a tall plant, thin-fleshed and juicy, ripening yellow to red with clean, biting heat.”
Growing calendar
90 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 7–9 (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
- Sauce & paste
- Drying
- Hot climate
- Container star
- High flavor
Origin
Tabasco takes its name from the Mexican state and is native to Central America, naturalised widely since. The Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions compendium records it as an open-pollinated Capsicum frutescens cultivar associated with the McIlhenny Company from 1848, with erect fruit around 35 by 8 mm on plants reaching 1000 mm. It is the pepper behind the Louisiana hot sauce of the same name. A separate cultivar, Greenleaf Tabasco, was released by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station in 1970 with resistance to tobacco etch virus; it is not the same variety as this one.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyLinks may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Oct 16, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Tabasco plant?
A Tabasco plant grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Space plants 12 in (30 cm) apart in rows 18 in (46 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–21 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Tabasco take to mature?
Tabasco is ready in about 90 days from transplant.
How hot is Tabasco?
Tabasco sits in the hot range, about 30,000–50,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Tabasco be grown in a container?
Yes — Tabasco grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Tabasco resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Tabasco.
