Superhot Pepper (Ghost, Reaper, Scorpion) in Zone 11a & 11b

Capsicum chinense

When to plant superhot pepper (ghost, reaper, scorpion) in zone 11b

Zones 11a and 11b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. Superhot Pepper (Ghost, Reaper, Scorpion) needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.

Start indoors	Oct 16–Oct 23
Direct sow / transplant outside	Jan 15–Jan 22
Estimated harvest	May 30–Jun 6 (~135 days after transplanting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-3 ft.

Superhot peppers (Ghost, Reaper, Scorpion, and their relatives) are a different commitment than a standard pepper plant. Days to maturity commonly runs 120-150+ days versus roughly 75-100 for a regular hot pepper, and germination itself is slower and far less consistent, sometimes taking 2-6 weeks instead of the usual week or so. Start these far earlier than you'd think to.

How superhot pepper (ghost, reaper, scorpion) fits zone 11's season

Zone 11b is frost-free in this dataset, so frost is not what limits the calendar here. What you can plant, and when, comes down to summer heat and daylength instead.

Good companions

Basil: Reputed to repel aphids and improve pepper growth nearby, but a controlled garden trial testing this same claim on a related crop found no pest-reduction benefit from basil, and actually found higher pest counts on the basil-companioned plants — treat this pairing as unproven, not as a working pest deterrent.
Onion: Reputed to deter many common pepper pests, though this specific pairing hasn't been tested the way onion/carrot pest-masking has — treat it as garden tradition. (usually zones 3-10, so not a pairing for zone 11b)

Where to buy superhot pepper seeds

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