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Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plants

Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plants

Very Hot Live Plant Seedlings

SKU: RedScotchBonnetSeedlings-INV
  • Heat Level:
  • Grower Experience Level: Expert
  • Seedling Size when Shipped: Approx. 4" or 3 sets of true leaves
  • Mature Plant Size: 4 ft.
  • Mature Pod Size: 3 in.
  • Origin: Jamaica
  • Species: Chinense
  • SHU: 100,000–350,000

41 total reviews

Size
Regular price $ 9.49
Regular price Sale price $ 9.49
Sold Out For Season
Shipping calculated at checkout.

Description:

Red Scotch Bonnet peppers are a classic Caribbean variety known for their intense heat, bold fruity flavor, and rich culinary heritage. Closely associated with Jamaican cuisine, these peppers deliver a signature balance of sweetness and heat that makes them a staple in jerk seasoning and hot sauces.

Grown hydroponically in a controlled environment, our Red Scotch Bonnet pepper plants arrive healthy, pest-free, and ready to establish once transplanted.

What You’ll Receive

  • Red Scotch Bonnet pepper plant hydroponically grown in rockwool (no soil)

  • Plant height at shipping: Approx. 4” tall

  • Actively growing with a strong, well-developed root system

  • Care instructions included

  • Bonus: 4-pack orders include a FREE sample compost tea fertilizer

Because our plants are grown hydroponically, they will require an adjustment period and it will take a few weeks for them to acclimate when transplanted into soil or containers. To learn more about our methods and to ensure success, review the sections below Our Live Plant Growing & Shipping Process and When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive.

About the Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper

The Red Scotch Bonnet is a Capsicum chinense variety prized for its fiery heat and complex fruity flavor. Peppers typically grow around 3 inches long with a wrinkled, globe-like shape and ripen to a bright red color. Plants are highly productive and can reach up to 4 feet tall under ideal growing conditions.

This variety plays a central role in traditional Jamaican cooking, where its bold heat and sweetness shine in marinades, sauces, and spice blends.

  • Heat Level: Hot (typically 100,000–350,000 Scoville Heat Units)

  • Flavor: Fruity, slightly smoky, and sweet with strong heat

  • Pepper Appearance: Wrinkled, globular red pods

  • Culinary Use: Jerk seasoning, hot sauces, marinades, and fresh use

Growing & Care Information

  • Grower Experience Level: Expert

  • Growth Habit: Bushy, highly productive plant

  • Mature Plant Size: Approximately 3–4 feet tall

  • Pepper Pod Size: Typically around 3 inches long

  • Days to Maturity: Approximately 90–110 days from transplant

  • Ways to Grow: In-ground garden beds, raised garden beds, and containers with proper drainage

If you’d prefer to start from seed, we also offer Red Scotch Bonnet pepper seeds and Seed Starting Supplies, a great option for growers who enjoy raising plants from the very beginning or planning ahead for future seasons.

Our Live Plant Process

Our Live Plant Growing & Shipping Process

At Pepper Joe's, our live pepper plants are grown with care from the very beginning to ensure customers receive strong, healthy plants ready to thrive.

All of our pepper plants are greenhouse grown hydroponically in rockwool, allowing for consistent nutrition, controlled growing conditions, and strong root development. Many varieties are started as early as December, giving plants ample time to mature before shipping season begins in April.

Each plant is grown to approximately 4 inches before being prepared for shipment. Prior to shipping, every plant is individually inspected by a member of our greenhouse team to ensure it meets our quality standards.

Plants are shipped in a protective mini greenhouse made from recycled material, specially sourced to help safeguard live plants during transit. This packaging helps maintain plant structure and reduce stress while traveling to your door.

Want to learn more? Check out our FAQ page or, our blog on how we ship live pepper plants.

When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive

When Your Live Pepper Plants Arrive

Your live pepper plants are shipped in custom packaging to protect them during transit. Some mild wilting after shipping is normal and usually resolves quickly.

Upon arrival:

  • Gently unbox your plant and inspect it.
  • The roots are surrounded by rockwool, a lightweight, soil-free growing material that helps retain moisture and protect the roots. Do not remove the rockwool.
  • Some drooping after shipping is normal. Water immediately upon arrival and allow up to 24 hours for recovery.

  • If your plant arrives with significant damage or doesn't improve after 24 hours, please contact us immediately via our contact form.

Transplanting:

  • Plant the rockwool end 2–3 inches deep into well-draining potting soil using a container at least 1 gallon in size.
  • Water thoroughly after planting and allow excess moisture to drain.

Before moving outdoors:

  • Soil temperatures should be 65°F or warmer
  • Nighttime temperatures should remain above 55°F
  • No risk of frost

Once conditions are right, harden off your new plants gradually by introducing them to outdoor conditions over several days before full sun exposure.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions, visit our Pepper Plant Care page.

If you have any concerns, please reach out through our contact form and our team will be happy to help.

FAQ's

When will my pre-order live plant ship?

  • Pre-order live plants begin shipping in April. Orders are fulfilled based on the shipping week you selected at checkout.
  • Not sure which week you chose? Log in to your account (or create one using the same email) to view your order details.

All non-Pre-order live plant orders ship the next business day.

Live plants ship only to the contiguous U.S.

Live Plant Refund & Replacement Information

Refund & Replacement Policy

We offer a replacement or refund for live plants reported as damaged or unsatisfactory within a reasonable timeframe, typically 48–72 hours after delivery. Clear photos of the plant(s) and packaging may be required to process a claim.

Additional limits:

  • We can’t offer refunds or replacements for issues reported more than 7 days after transplanting, as plant health can be affected by factors outside our control.
  • No refunds or replacements will be issued for dead plants more than 30 days after delivery, under any circumstances.
  • We offer one replacement per order for all products, including seeds and live plants.
  • If a replacement is needed but the item is out of stock, we’ll provide a gift card or refund equal to the item value.
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Browse more Live Hot Pepper Plants
  • 5 stars: 20 (49%)
  • 4 stars: 7 (17%)
  • 3 stars: 2 (5%)
  • 2 stars: 3 (7%)
  • 1 star: 9 (22%)
B
Brad T.
Pepper plants in plugs

I have had zero luck with the pepper plants that are shipped in the wool like plugs the last couple seasons since I’ve tried those. I’ve followed the directions exactly. I’ve had success with your seeds though. Foods product, sausage, jerky etc are amazing. Love the business wish I had better if any luck with the plants. Thanks.

Hi there, thank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoy our seeds and products! Sorry to hear about the issues with seedlings in rockwool—your appreciate your input. Feel free to contact us if you'd like assistance or alternatives for planting. Thanks for your support!

C
Chris P.

Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plants

Hi Chris,
Thank you for choosing our Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plants! We hope you enjoy growing and using them. Let us know if you have any questions, you can always reach us at customerservice@pepperjoe.com. Happy gardening!

W
Wendy A.L.

They all didn’t make

Hi Wendy,

We're sorry to hear that some of your plants did not survive. Some plants do not survive from transit, transplanting, and environmental changes. If you have questions please reach out to us at customerservice@pepperjoe.com and we would love to help you. Thank you.

V
V.G.

This is my first purchase from Pepper Joe’s. I must say so far. I am happy with the purchase. I purchased two seedlings that came intact. I planted both of them in the same plant pot. Only one took off and started to grow. so I moved one of the ceilings into a separate plant pot and that is now starting to grow and root itself so far I have a total of eight scotch bonnet peppers on one plant currently still green, but looking forward to when they turn red. Very happy with my purchase will be purchasing from pepper Joe’s in the future

A
Anthony

All of the leafs fell off on my Red Scotch Bonnet and is basically a stick when it was delivered to me but other then that im very happy with all of my live plants!!!!

L
Lawrence D.
Awesome Live Plants

Ive ordered a few times now and they always come in perfect condition! Never had a bad experience!

K
Keniesha

Plants arrived in good condition.

F
Fred A.
Weak plants

The plant looked healthy when they arrived, but two of the plants died, in spite of my long experience in gardening. I believe the smaller of the two (red scotch bonnets?). Even waxed them gently to acclimatize them.

Hi Fred,
Thanks for writing a review! We're sorry to hear that the Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plants didn't make it. A member of our team will contact you directly to look into this and offer further assistance. We appreciate your time!

L
Lorraine T.
Plants can not thrive

When you changed your plants this year to packing them in a yellow foam and in plastic containers it ruined the life of the plant to get bigger and roots to grow. You used to pack them in real dirt and carefully pack them in a box so they had room to breathe during shipment. The plants were so small compared to years before and they were bent in shape because of the plastic container that keeps them smushed. No matter how much I took care of these plants and baby them they would not root out of the yellow foam into dirt. I use top quality soil and slowly introduce my plants to outside and all the leaves would fall off and they would die. And when I pulled them out of the dirt I could see that no roots would even try to emerge from the yellow block that they were started growing in. Such a disappointment because I used to have over a 75% success rate with your Scotch bonnet plants and to have almost all of them fail and be so small when delivered was a huge disappointment and hit to my wallet.

Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experience with our plants! We're so sorry to hear that the plants arrived in poor condition and did not do well for you. A member of our team will be reaching out to look into this and offer further assistance. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention!

G
Gary

Healthy and hearty.

P
Paige J.
Very Disappointed: None of them grew or survived

The first set I got in the mail had white and green fuzzy mold on them and the leaves looked yellowed and sick. They did not survive a very gradual transition outside and transplant to the garden. I received a second set that looked healthier on arrival but they also both died, even with a very gentle slow and gradual transition outside then to the garden. I tried everything to get them to survive but nothing worked and I’ve never had this problem with live plants from anywhere else. This happened with every single one of the live pepper plants I purchased from pepper Joes and I’m very disappointed, especially considering the cost of them and shipping. I wonder if the medium in which they grow and arrive in makes transplanting and survival very difficult. I would never recommend these to anyone.

Hi Paige,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We're so sorry to hear that none of your plants survived. A member of our team will be reaching out directly to dig into this and hopefully come to a resolution. We look forward to working with you!

J
Joseph R.
scotch bonnet pepper

all my plant die even the replacement

Joseph,
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback! We are so sorry to hear that these plants did not survive. Our customer service team will be reaching out to you to discuss this further and offer assistance. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you on a resolution!

D
Delores H.
Scotch bonnet pepper plant.

I gave a 4 only because the plants were very small and died after I transplanted them. Packaging was perfect and shipping time was great. I’ll bug from this company again. I recommend them.

J
James

One arrived damaged customer service was no help

James,
Thank you for your review! We are sorry to hear that 1 plant was damaged in your order. Our team has reached out to you directly so we can provide you with resolution. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

R
Ramardy S.

Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plant Seedlings

J
James B.
Scotch Bonnet Red Plant Seedings Thriving

Healthy plants arrived at a perfect time for planting. They are now healthy pepper plants with several green peppers and flowers. I’m completely satisfied and will order plants in the future rather than raising from seeds.

C
Corbin E.

Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plant Seedlings

J
James O.
thin

One of the plants looks like a stick with leaves and the other one is growing slow as the other plants are doing.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with a review. Our customer service team would be happy to look into this and offer tips on your plants. Please email pictures of your plants and your order number to us at customerservice@pepperjoe.com.

J
Jerome C.

Red Scotch Bonnet Pepper Plant Seedlings

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We're sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with these seedlings and our customer service team would be happy to help with any issues you are experiencing with these. You can reach us by emailing customerservice@pepperjoe.com. Our hours are 7am-5pm Monday-Friday.

O
O.B.
Great Yield

Great yield for these and the color and flavor were exactly what I wanted. Took about 90 days from planting to getting ripe fruits. Still producing almost 5 months after planting.

S
S.P.
Received wrong plants

I bought these back in April but the peppers that I ended up growing turned out to be Red Jamaican mushroom. Wasn't a bad pepper but seeing a common trend from this site of poor product control.

C
Clarence P.
The best

Great service and plant

S
Shameem A.
Scotch bonnet

Bought 4 they arrived a little crushed but 3 survived & are healthy
Blossoming right now

R
Randy H.
Great shipping and full peppers

Came packed very safely and it has grown like crazy with so many beautiful bonnets on it.

S
Sergio Q.
Fast Shipping

Shipping was great and fast. Plants arrived in good condition.

B
B
Scotch Bonnets

Doing well, got some happy peppers growing green. Should be turning red here in a few weeks.

R
Rose K.
Bought 2, 1 died

Treated the same one of two Scotch bonnets, transplanted after a few days hardening of, simply shriveled and died. The other spent a couple weeks just hanging out before beginning to thrive. I don't expect a harvest from it this year and hope it overwinters well. Have to check in next year

J
James S.
Scotchies!

Can't believe I am growing these Caribbean peppers in the pacific NW! When the plants arrived, they were in worse shape than I was expecting, in fact I didn't think 2 of the 4 I ordered were going to make it. But I followed the planting instructions, gave them plenty of light and water, and at the 45 day mark they are all thriving. They are just starting to flower, so I am still a ways out for fruit, but this has been a great experience. Can't wait to try some other varieties next year.

V
Victoria B.
Healthy Plants

I had to purchase the live plants because I personally messed up with the seeds and incorrect soil. It felt a bit expensive for the size received but they are growing healthy and already growing a few. So for my amateur knowledge on gardening I'm satisfied these were an option to save the day. Its rare anyways to find scotch bonnets in America so I can appreciate the availability.

Only the Healthiest

Growing pepper plants is what we do best. For each order, our greenhouse experts thoughtfully select thriving plants with strong stems and developing root systems. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, we're here to make sure your plant journey is a success.

Our Custom Live Plant Packaging

Our live pepper plants are safely shipped in our 100% recyclable custom plant packaging. Rock wool is used to keep a protective layer around the seedling's roots for close-to-ideal levels of moisture and oxygen.

Live Plants Shipped Straight to Your Doorstep

Our Commitment - to ship live plants carefully and efficiently – Monday through Friday. With our streamlined processes, your plants spend only a short time in transit before arriving right at your door. This ensures that your plants get from our greenhouse to you quickly and healthy.