Thai dragon pepper (Capsicum annuum)
I've been looking everywhere for this Thai dragon chili pepper. I've looked at several nurseries and they all seem to have only the more common peppers like jalapeno, cayenne, etc. Finally I dropped by this nursery near work and guess what I found! I bought three of them and it's probably going to be more than enough for the season. Last year I harvested a lot of them and ended up bringing it to work.
Thai dragon pepper is a very hot pepper and used mostly in Asian cooking. Be careful when you handle it because you'll definitely feel the burn. I don't know how many times I've forgotten about this and rubbed my eyes after touching these peppers, it's not something you want to experience! I don't know how my co-workers from India do it but they actually pop these in their mouth like they are popcorn!
It's very easy to grow, all it needs is full sun and moisture. Don't rush to harvest them because the pungency won't be as intense. Take a look at an interesting article from Organic Gardening magazine about different kinds of peppers that has bigger yields, earlier harvest, and more intense flavors.
May 22nd, 2009 - 01:57
I’m a little scared to try super hot peppers like this one. The heat sounds intense!
May 24th, 2009 - 13:45
Looking at the scoville count….YOW! I’m another one that tends to rub the eyes after handling peppers, so I know exactly what you mean. Look forward to an upcoming pepper harvest!
May 24th, 2009 - 22:17
Rowena – I wasn’t sure about scoville count compare to others but I just looked it up and it’s not as hot as the habarnero peppers!
June 5th, 2010 - 01:20
I bought one a few months ago at the Farmers Market and it starts to flower and they die. I’ve tried watering, then not watering, then watering again… all I get are tiny green bugs and dead flowers…. it’s inside…. any suggestions rachelboatright@yahoo.com THANKS I’m a newbie
July 9th, 2010 - 18:05
Peppers like to be outside in hot and humid weather. They especially like full sun. Try moderate watering and move the plant outside where it receives full sun. Usually when you see flowers it means the peppers are about to come out.
August 28th, 2010 - 13:45
I’ve got a couple nice Tai Dragon plants going now, to be honest it’s one of the easiest for me to grow. It does have a nice heat to it but I wouldn’t say it’s even close to intolerable.. I’d put it on the same scale as a Cayenne or Kung pao But the taste is incredible, very sweet with a nice kick, It’s one of a few I love to pluck right off the plant and eat raw I also love cooking them into a big pot of Spagetti sauce!
Want to try another really good and moderately hot pepper of the Cayenne variety?
Try the “Charlestown Hot” It’s a little hotter and larger then the Tai Dragon but it’s another great pepper that work real well in several dishes.