Habanero peppers will grow between 12-20 inches (30-50cm) high. These tall growing habanero peppers can benefit from a stake if they start to get heavy with fruit. Use a small bamboo stake or hardwood stake to stop a tall plant from flopping over.
These fast growing peppers are perfect for growing at home in pots, garden beds or raised gardens. Plant them as seedlings in spring once frost has passed. These can be planted with tomatoes or matched with herbs like parsley, basil or chives.
This article will explore how to grow tall habanero plants to get as much fruit and pollination as possible.
Do I need to stake habanero plants?
Habanero plants will grow tall with multiple branches. A plant that gets full sun will grow into a balanced shape covering the whole plant with peppers in the summer. The more sun the plant gets the taller it will grow.
Growing a tall plant is beneficial as it will give it more room to grow flowers which means that you will grow more peppers. Habanero plants can grow equally as wide as they are tall reaching out up to 20 inches across.
If you have a tight space you can trim off the side branches so that you can fit other plants in your garden bed.
I have planted mine near tomatoes as well as salvia, basil and strawberries. I am growing a mixed range of vegetables and fruit in the same bed to create a mini food forest.
How to grow a tall habanero plant
Habanero will grow large and quick if it is planted in a pot or container with good quality potting soil mixed with aged cow manure. These peppers can also be planted in the ground in a garden bed. Before planting mix through some compost and aged cow manure to increase drainage.
Habanero peppers will grow tall with lots of leaves and branches in spring, ready to flower and set fruit in summer. You will get a long harvest of peppers if the soil is prepared well. Add a handful of pelleted chicken manure at the time of planting or after around 4 weeks.
Pelleted chicken manure will slowly release nitrogen and a range of nutrients to help the plant to grow quickly. Stop adding fertilizer by the end of spring to allow the plant to absorb the nitrogen and tip the balance of nitrogen to potassium to encourage the plant to produce flowers.
Flowers will be fertilized by passing insects including bees, flies or wasps. The more sun the plant gets the more likely it will be that the flowers will be pollinated. I have also been planting flowers nearby including salvia to attract insects.
Habanero can continue to produce peppers into the fall and even survive the winter in mild areas. In tropical and subtropical regions habanero peppers can survive and grow for around 2 years still producing peppers.
In cooler regions, habanero plants will die off in winter when the weather turns cold. You can then replant new seedlings in spring for more peppers over the summer.
How fast do habanero plants grow?
Habanero plants will grow quickly in the warmer weather. Plant new seedlings that are 2-3 inches high in the spring and in two weeks they will double in size. By the end of spring these plants can reach their full height of anywhere from 12-20 inches.
The plant will start producing flowers once it has established and the weather warms up. Habanero peppers will be ready to pick 10-12 weeks after you plant the seedling. They can keep producing peppers throughout the summer.
Keep picking the peppers once they ripen to encourage it to continue to grow flowers and peppers.
Can you grow habanero plants in pots?
Habanero peppers can be grown successfully in pots. Choose a pot that is around 12 inches deep by 12 inches wide to give the plant a chance to grow a large healthy root system. The roots of the habanero will grow a similar size to the height of the plant.
Fill the pot with good quality potting soil and place it in a sunny spot in spring. Water the plant 2-3 times per week over spring and increase this in summer as the weather heats up. You may need to water a habanero pepper every second day. Pots can heat up quickly in the summer and dry out so check the soil regularly.
How much sun do habanero plants need?
Habanero plants will thrive in full sun growing taller and producing more peppers over the summer season. These plants are not frost tolerant so wait until later in spring to plant them out if you live in a frost prone area.
Habanero plants that get more sun will grow a large, balanced coverage of leaves which will help to balance the plant when it sets fruit. Plant that get uneven sunlight can lean towards the sun and cause it to grow larger on one side.
If this happens, place a small stake in against the stem of the plant to hold it upright and prevent the stems from breaking.
How tall do habanero plants grow? | Summary
Habanero plants will grow up to 20 inches tall in the right soil and sun conditions. Good quality soil is key to a healthy plant and remember to add some straw mulch to keep the soil moist. Aged cow manure is the perfect addition to the soil before planting habanero peppers and will help to feed the plant slowly over summer.
Add a handful of pelleted chicken manure every 4 weeks over spring to help it grow lots of leaves which will set the plant up to be healthy and strong to grow lots of fruit. Add a fruit promoting fertilizer at the start of summer to boost flower production and fruit set.
Happy growing.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.