If you like your food spicy, you know what a treat a good habanero pepper can be. While store-bought habaneros will do in a pinch, the homegrown variety generally has superior taste, texture and aroma. Growing your own habanero peppers at home also provides a sense of accomplishment and is not as difficult as you might think. Even if you're not an experienced gardener, you can grow habanero peppers that will have spicy-food lovers salivating.
Growing Conditions
The right growing conditions are important no matter what type of plant you are working with, and habanero peppers are no exception. These plants do best in hot, dry climates, though it is possible to grow a healthy crop of habanero peppers in virtually any kind of climate if you make the right accommodations.
If you live in a colder climate, you will have to limit your growing season to the warm summer months. If you live in a hot, dry, area you probably can keep your pepper crop going year-round.
Right Location
Compared with other food crops, habanero peppers are not at all picky about where they are grown. generally do better in a regular or raised garden bed, and they love the heat and the sun, so choose a sunny location.
If you don't have access to a garden plot, you can successfully grow habanero peppers in containers, making these tasty treats a great choice for apartment dwellers. Habanero peppers also can be grown indoors with the help of an indoor-gardening system, such as the popular AeroGarden.
Planting
You can start your habanero peppers from seed or by using transplants. If a nursery in your area carries habanero plants, it is much easier to plant those seedlings than to start from seed.
When transplanting the peppers, make the hole a bit deeper and twice as wide as the root ball. Place the plant carefully in the hole and gently fill it with soil. The plants should be watered daily until they have become established; after that, water them as needed.
If you need to start from seed, make holes about ½-inch deep and place two seeds in each hole. For best results, holes should be about a foot apart to give each plant plenty of room to grow. The soil should be watered and kept moist for at least a week or until the plants have begun to sprout. If more than one plant comes up from each hole, the smaller one can be cut back.
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