How to Grow Hotter Jalapeños

Sow the jalapeños seeds, using plastic cell-packs --- a container that can have between 4 and 18 cells. Fill the cells with all purpose potting soil and drop one seed in the center, pushing it down about an inch. Cover the seeds with soil, water them until the soil is moist and store them indoors in a warm place (around 70 to 75 degrees F) for about four to six weeks.

Transplant the pepper plants into the ground when they are about 4 to 6 inches tall. Select an area with ample amounts of direct sunlight, as the more sun the peppers receive, the hotter they tend to be. Use a grid-like pattern, spacing the plants about 20 inches apart, in a row, with each row distanced about 2 feet apart. Additionally; for hotter jalapeños, start putting the plants into the ground around the end of spring, so they benefit from growing in the hotter summer months.

Water the jalapeño plants with an irrigation system, so only the roots get wet, not the fruit. Two weeks after the plants are in the ground, "stress" the jalapeño plants, a term that means to decrease the amount of water as the fruit matures. Start reducing the irrigated water by 25 percent, every two weeks. By the time the plants are harvested, they shouldn't have been watered for at least a week or two. The result is a slightly smaller, more pungent jalapeño.

Allow the peppers to stay on the vine, for an additional week, after they are mature. The longer the jalapeños are on the vine, the hotter they become. Harvest the peppers right before they turn red.