Ají Caballero Hot Pepper Seeds (Puerto Rican Pique Pepper)

Bring Puerto Rican flavor to your kitchen garden with Ají Caballero hot pepper seeds. This Capsicum frutescens pepper is associated with traditional pique, the island's fiery pepper condiment, and produces small, intensely hot fruits that ripen through green, gold and orange to vibrant red.

Grow a plant in a warm garden bed or a sunny patio container, then pick a few ripe peppers to add bright heat to sauces and cooked dishes. Colorful fruit clusters give the plant ornamental appeal as well as kitchen value.

Variety Highlights

• Variety: Ají Caballero, also called Puerto Rican pique pepper.
• Species: Capsicum frutescens.
• Fruit: Small, hot peppers in colorful clusters.
• Ripening colors: Green, gold, orange and red.
• Heat: Intensely hot; strength varies with individual plants and growing conditions.
• Uses: Pique, hot sauces, salsas, cooked dishes and dried seasoning.

What You Are Ordering

Choose 10, 25, 100 or 500 seeds. This listing is for planting seeds, not live plants, fresh peppers or prepared hot sauce.

When to Plant

Start indoors approximately 8–10 weeks before your last expected frost. Harden seedlings off gradually, then transplant after frost danger has passed and nighttime temperatures consistently remain above approximately 55°F.

In frost-free climates, choose a locally suitable warm growing window. Allow sufficient time for seedlings to establish and fruit to ripen before cooler weather returns.

Sowing & Germination

1. Sow approximately 1/4 inch deep in a clean, well-draining seed-starting mix.
2. Maintain steady warmth around 80–85°F in the growing medium. A seedling heat mat can help.
3. Keep evenly moist without saturating the mix, and provide good airflow.
4. Allow approximately 1–4 weeks for germination under suitable conditions; some seeds may take longer.
5. Provide bright light after emergence and acclimate seedlings gradually before outdoor planting.

Seed-starting success depends on the balance of warmth, moisture and drainage. Avoid keeping trays persistently wet, regardless of the growing medium used.

Growing & Care

Choose a warm, sunny position with fertile, well-drained soil. Water deeply as needed during dry spells while avoiding waterlogged roots. A soaker hose can deliver water near the soil surface, and mulch can help moderate moisture; keep mulch clear of plant stems.

Feed according to the fertilizer's label and the needs of your soil or potting mix. Avoid combining multiple feeding schedules without accounting for the nutrients already supplied.

Growing in Containers

Use a container of approximately 5 gallons or larger with drainage holes and a well-draining potting mix. Place in a warm, sunny location and check moisture frequently, since pots can dry faster than garden beds.

Let excess water drain freely. Indoor growing requires adequate light and warmth; a pot alone does not ensure year-round fruiting.

Seasonal Expectations

Ají Caballero needs warm conditions and time to develop from seed into a fruiting plant. Cool weather or limited light can slow growth. Germination, flowering and harvest timing vary, so no fixed maturity date or yield is promised.

Plants are commonly grown as warm-season crops where frost occurs. They may persist longer under suitable frost-free conditions, but continued survival and fruiting depend on light, warmth and care.

Harvesting & Kitchen Use

Clip peppers with clean garden scissors when they reach their desired ripe color. Harvest regularly as fruits mature. Use sparingly in pique, salsas, pepper pastes, stews, rice dishes and marinades, or dry suitable harvested fruits for flakes and seasoning.

For pickling or stored sauces, use a tested food-preservation recipe. Adding vinegar or brine alone does not establish that a preparation is safe for room-temperature storage.

Hot Pepper Handling

Wear gloves when handling harvested peppers or seed material that may carry hot pepper residue. Avoid touching eyes, the face or other sensitive areas. Wash hands and tools thoroughly, even after removing gloves, and avoid inhaling pepper dust when drying or grinding chilies.

Do not apply lime juice or other acidic home remedies to irritated skin. Keep hot fruits and seeds away from children and pets.

Seed Safety

For planting only. Do not eat the supplied seeds or use them for food sprouts or animal feed. Store unused seeds in their labeled packet in a cool, dry place separate from food. Follow any additional handling instructions included with the packet.