Chilli Pepper Hungarian Hot Wax

Franchi - Chilli Pepper Hungarian Hot Wax

The Reliable All-Rounder: Chilli Pepper Hungarian Hot Wax

If you only grow one chilli this year, make it the Hungarian Hot Wax. Originating from Hungary, this variety is legendary for its reliability and earliness, making it the ideal choice for the unpredictable UK and Irish summers. Unlike finicky "super-hots" that require tropical conditions, this sturdy plant produces abundant harvests of smooth, waxy yellow fruits even in cooler seasons. It offers a perfect medium heat—spicy enough to provide a kick, but mild enough to be enjoyed in large quantities without overwhelming the palate.

• The "Goldilocks" Heat: With a Scoville rating of roughly 5,000 to 10,000 units, it sits comfortably between a Jalapeño and a Cayenne. It’s hot, but manageable.

• Harvest Early & Often: This is one of the earliest chillies to mature. You will likely be picking these weeks before other varieties have even set fruit.

• Colourful Display: The peppers start a pale lime green, turn a translucent canary yellow, then orange, and finally ripen to a deep crimson red. The plant often holds all colours at once, making it highly ornamental.

• Perfect Size: The fruits grow to about 10–15cm long and are wide enough to be easily stuffed, grilled, or sliced into substantial rings.

Master Gardener's Tip: The Colour Code

This pepper gives you two harvests in one! You do not need to wait for them to turn red. In fact, traditionally, they are harvested when they are a bright, waxy yellow. At this stage, they are crunchy, tangy, and have a moderate heat. If you leave them on the plant to ripen to orange or red, the sugar content rises, making the flesh sweeter, but the heat level intensifies significantly. For maximum yield, pick the first few peppers while they are yellow; this signals the plant to produce more flowers, ensuring a bumper crop right through to October.

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