prolific amounts of fruit. With two or four, you’ll grow baskets full of produce. This variety sprouts spicy little green or red fruits. Each one can range from 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville units, meaning ‘Serrano’ peppers are two to four times as spicy as the hottest jalapeños!

This variety is a staple in the backyard and the kitchen, especially for spice lovers and pepper enthusiasts. ‘Serrano’ makes salsas, stews, and casseroles punchy. When smoked, they add a deliciously complex flavor to meats, vegetables, and beans.

Plant ‘Serrano’ today and enjoy its crunchiness, tanginess, and sometimes overwhelming spiciness! Whether you’re new to hot peppers or are a lifelong chile grower, this variety makes a superb addition to the garden.
What Is It?

‘Serrano’ is a type of chile similar to jalapeños. The fruits are slightly shorter and spicier. Their short bodies are meaty with thin skin and grow on an average-sized plant two to three feet tall. They grow to a width of two feet and require some space in the garden when fully mature.

Alongside tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, ‘Serrano’ peppers are an easy crop necessary for a complete salsa garden. Salsa gardens are unique food-growing spaces with all the plants you need to create fresh salsa. Salsa gardens are versatile—utilize each crop in foods like mirepoix, marinades, and pickled goods.

With a ‘Serrano,’ ‘Anaheim,’ and bell pepper plants, you’ll grow all the varieties you need for any recipe. I recommend this combination or one similar that has a hot chile, a mild or sweet one, and a big, fleshy one for cooking and sautéing.
Native Area
‘Serrano’ pepper varieties originate from two states in Mexico, Puebla, and Hidalgo. The Spanish name comes from this area, as it is incredibly mountainous. Sierra is similar to serrano and translates to “mountain.”

‘Serrano’ now grows worldwide during spring and summer. They appreciate direct sun, warm temperatures, and good airflow. They survive perennially in regions without winter frost and as annuals in all other areas. Like most other peppers, they do not tolerate freezing conditions.

Characteristics
‘Serrano’ pushes out thin, herbaceous stems. Their trunks become woody over time, while the rest of the plant remains green. Off the stems sprout bright green leaves and white flowers. When pollinated, the white flowers morph into two to three-inch green peppers. Throughout the summer season, green chiles ripen to a deep red color.

Peppers gain considerable heat, sweetness, and flavor as they age. Try them at all stages of ripeness to discover your favorite. Different states of ripeness coincide with various recipes, so having all stages of ‘Serrano’ fruits allows you to cook a wide range of dishes.

This type’s scientific name is Capsicum annuum ‘Serrano.’ It is a member of one of five main species of domesticated peppers. Many other species originate in South America and Asia, and some have roots in parts of Mexico and North America. They all appreciate warmth, sunlight, regular water, and good drainage.

Propagation
Propagating chiles is easy enough with the proper tools. Chiles also need some time indoors in most areas of North America with winter cold. This gives them a jump start on the season so they produce lots of fruit and flowers under the summer sun.

Once peppers grow from seeds, you can propagate them further with cuttings. Read on and learn about both methods.


Seeds
For best results, sow seeds eight to ten weeks before your last average frost date. Fill five-inch pots with potting soil. Then, take your seeds and place two of them a quarter inch deep in each pot. Water well, and use a seed germination heat mat to help the seedlings sprout. Pepper seeds need light and heat to germinate.

Place the pots under a well-lit windowsill or grow lights. If using grow lights, keep them on for at least 16 hours. Under a windowsill, they naturally increase in size as the days lengthen from winter to spring. However, you need a good light source. Many windowsills do not have enough light to support early pepper growth.

Ensure the soil stays moist but not soggy, and the seeds will germinate in 10-25 days. Keep them under lights and ensure they receive enough water as they mature. As they grow they may get root-bound in their pots. Root-bound peppers frequently dry out and exhibit slow growth. Transplant overgrown ‘Serrano’ plants into quart or gallon pots with fresh soil.

Cuttings
Once your chile plants have multiple stems with prominent growth, you can take cuttings and increase your pepper supply. Take six-inch cuttings in early spring or summer. Strip off their lower leaves and leave the top ones to continue growing. Stripping the leaves helps the cuttings sprout roots beneath the soil.

With snips or scissors, cut the top leaves’ edges so they stop growing. This further encourages the plants to grow roots, as they’re now forced to put all their energy into root production.

Take your snipped cuttings and bury them two inches deep in pots with potting soil. Water well, and place the cuttings inside under a windowsill with bright light or outside under dappled shade. Add a humidity dome for increased rooting success. Monitor your baby plants and ensure their soil stays moist but not soggy.

After a week and up to a month later your cuttings should sprout roots. Successfully rooted plants sprout new growth from their stems, while unsuccessful ones drop their leaves and show signs of rot. Throw the rotting ones into the compost, and transplant the rooted ones into the garden or a container.

Planting
Peppers thrive in raised beds, containers, and the ground. With one in a container or five in a raised bed, this variety impresses growers with its sheer productivity. Give ‘Serrano’ moderately draining soil with lots of compost or other organic material, and they’ll create loads of fruit.

Plants may experience slow growth and have little flowers when their soil is extremely sandy or thick with clay. With the proper soil, peppers thrive with little input and maintenance.
How to Grow
Throughout the season, ‘Serrano’ chiles thrive with little maintenance. They appreciate a few things throughout their lifetime. With some extra care and love, these plants produce copious amounts of peppers. The challenge, then, is finding enough recipes to use them all!
Maintenance

‘Serrano’ specimens appreciate maintenance through cutting off any dead or diseased foliage and stems. Monitor for pests and diseases, and apply compost to the soil if the top layer thins. Harvest peppers as they form so the plants continue producing fruits and flowers until the first frost.

Although not necessary, ‘Serrano’ benefits from staking or caging. Add a bamboo stake, trellis, or tomato cage, and the plants will cling to it as they grow. This makes for easy harvesting once the fruits hang down and ripen.

As the last frost date approaches your region, hard prune the stems to help ripen the fruits faster. A hard prune takes the pepper’s energy from growing new leaves, stems, and shoots and redirects it toward fruit and seed formation. To hard prune, cut off all branches above ripening fruits and snip the flowers. Remove a third of the plant’s leaves to let sunlight penetrate the interiors.