How to Grow a Hot Chili Pepper in Arizona

Sowing Seeds

• Choose a variety of hot pepper according to your taste and how you want to use them. In mild-winter zones, freezing weather can still occur, so don't set peppers out in the garden until mid-February to mid-March. Start seeds indoors six to eight weeks before, in mid-December to mid-January. For cold winter areas, calculate six to eight weeks before the last spring frost date to start peppers indoors. Sow seeds in a quality well-draining potting mix in peat pots, covering the seeds with 1/4-inch of the mix. Water the pots thoroughly and keep them at a temperature of between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Germination usually occurs in a week or two. Keep the soil moist and put the growing seedlings in a sunny window.

Transplanting

• When seedlings have several sets of true leaves and danger of spring frost is over, harden off seedlings by putting them outside in full sun for an increasing amount of time over several days. Leave them outside for one hour the first day, two hours the second day and four hours the third day, bringing them inside to a sunny windowsill after each exposure. Plant them in the garden on the fourth day. If you don't care to start plants from seed, purchase started seedlings and harden them off before setting them in the garden.

Garden Care

• Peppers need moist soil throughout the growing season, but it shouldn't become waterlogged. Use soaker hoses alongside the plants, and put mulch around the plants during the hottest summer months. Peppers don't need much fertilizer, since too much causes leaf growth at the expense of fruit formation. Apply 5-10-10 granular fertilizer at the rate of 4 cups per 100 square feet of garden soil before putting the plants in place, mixing it into the soil.

Desert Area Second Planting

• For USDA zones 9 and 10, hot pepper growth slows down during the hottest summer months and spring-planted peppers become relatively non-productive. Start from seed or purchase new transplants for a second season in July. Put plants in the ground from July 1 through 15 for fall harvest as the weather cools and productivity goes up.

Harvesting

• Harvest hot peppers when they are ripe for the hottest flavor. Exceptions are "Anaheim," "Serrano" and "Jalapeno," which are traditionally used green in cooking. Cut the peppers off the plant instead of pulling them off to avoid damage to the peppers and to the plants. Hot peppers can be used fresh or dried for later use. When working with hot peppers, wear waterproof gloves to protect your skin from the capsaicin, which can burn. Don't touch your eyes if you have pepper juice on your fingers.