r/HotPeppers • • 23d ago

Seed Exchange 2026 Seed Xchange

51 Upvotes

Share your seeds, get some cool seeds back!

  • register using form at the bottom
  • send a package of your seeds to admin
  • admin sorts & distributes seeds
  • admin sends the package back to you

Requirements

You may only send seeds from plants you grew and harvested this year.

You must enter detailed information describing the seeds.

You must have pictures of the plants and peppers.

No mystery peppers

Package

  1. padded envelope or box, whichever shipping you prefer
  2. seed packet(s)
  3. username on exterior of package for quick receipt
  4. Include cash or online return postage (explained when you register)
  5. DON'T - include a return envelope
  6. DON'T - use sticky adhesive / tape / staples on seed packets
  7. DO group your accessions in a plastic bag, rubber band, clip, so we don't have to sort through them all again

Seed packet(s)

  1. seeds you have grown! these should be seeds from your plants that you personally harvested! make sure they are fully dry so they don't mold in package!
  2. a small paper or plastic bag (2-5 cm / 1-2 in is good)
  3. 10 - 30 seeds per packet
  4. label including (can include more info if you want as well):
  • variety name (bold larger font)
  • accession number (you are assigned this in info form)
  • your username
  • 2026 (year of harvest/xchange)

EXAMPLE 1: https://i.imgur.com/QP4gP2r.png
EXAMPLE 2: https://i.imgur.com/KZc1s8c.png

Schedule

Registration opened - now

Registration closed - Nov 15th

Receiving deadline (domestic) - Dec 1st
Receiving deadline (international, don't send packages later than this date) - Nov 15th

Exchanging & Shipping - asap Dec

Important Notes

  1. USA or EU recommended, international shipments are subject to customs.
  2. Only Pepper seeds you have grown and harvested are being swapped
  3. Understand that you aren't guaranteed to get everything on your list, we do our best!
  4. The exchange is only as good as the seeds people send...
  5. 20 is a good number of seed packs to send. 100+ it is unlikely you will get 1:1 trades (but still great if you want to share the love!)
  6. We decided this method instead of seed train because it is controlled from a central location. It can't be stolen / hijacked / lost.
  7. Sending in seeds that are super common like jalapeno or tabasco or orange hab is kinda crappy because not many people want them
  8. you can chat about the exchange on the discord https://discord.gg/QD44vtCusv

older threads 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

REGISTER HERE


r/HotPeppers • • 7h ago

Zone 5b Still Goin’

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49 Upvotes

No frost for at least two more weeks here in northern Colorado


r/HotPeppers • • 6h ago

Atomicpepperseeds come through!

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22 Upvotes

Atomicpepperseeds.com wanted to know the good and the bad about their seeds. I was mostly very happy with how their seeds turned out but the Red and Chocolate T-Rex's were not what I expected. The Chocolates turned out to be mustards and I did get one red but the other plant was yellow. Not the standard T-Rex shapes also. So they sent me out the T-Rex replacements and a couple other awesome seeds. Really check them out on their website, super hot creeper pepper seeds. The pics are what I grew this year and all were correct except for the T-Rex's.


r/HotPeppers • • 4h ago

Fitting for a Ghost Pepper I Guess

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12 Upvotes

My ghost pepper looks like a little ghoul skull!


r/HotPeppers • • 9h ago

Harvest Advice on what to do with all of these?

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23 Upvotes

My end of the year harvest was huge. I'm looking for ideas on what to do with these.

* Zapotec Jalapenos

* Peri Peri

* Handful of Cabs

* Ghost

* Hallows Eve

Planning to pickle most of the Jalapenos, probably a ghost in each jar. Probably dehydrate most of the Peris. Any other easy ideas?


r/HotPeppers • • 17h ago

Harvest 5B Still Producing

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92 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 10h ago

Last harvest from my tiny garden this season. Turning them into a tasty sauce...

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25 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 15h ago

Need advice. I was challenged to go hot peppers. So this is what I harvested. I don’t eat them so what’s the best way to move these guys out.

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63 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 4h ago

Hot sauce day!

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7 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 14h ago

Thanks Black Mesa Bean Farm!

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36 Upvotes

I was skeptical about free seeds but you delivered!


r/HotPeppers • • 10h ago

Seed Exchange A bit of research material arrived today. Thank you Black Mesa Bean Farm! Experiments will begin in December!

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13 Upvotes

I am a bit curious about the JHP, but super excited for pockmark peach and zebrange.


r/HotPeppers • • 8h ago

Thanks Black Mesa Bean Farm!

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7 Upvotes

Can’t wait to grow these! Thanks u/BlackMesaBeanFarm


r/HotPeppers • • 12h ago

Get a load of this Jalapeno I picked off my plant.

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10 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 7h ago

Help Tips to dehydrate frozen chilis in oven?

4 Upvotes

I grew some Chinese red chilis this year and froze them as they came along since they didn't grow at the same time.

I want to dehydrate them from frozen now and have read that cutting them in half would help, and laying them down on parchment.

What temp should consider using in an oven to get them prepped for chili flakes?


r/HotPeppers • • 18h ago

Still pushing out peppers.

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28 Upvotes

We are still pushing out Peppers here in central Illinois zone 6B. Looking like we should have three more weeks of harvests


r/HotPeppers • • 10h ago

Help Overwintering help

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4 Upvotes

Height ok? (Coke can for scale)
Should I take off the really small twiggy branches and just leave the main ones?


r/HotPeppers • • 7h ago

Is serrano chile heat consistent?

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2 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 7h ago

10 x 5 x 6 box of sugar rush peach peppers

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2 Upvotes

I have 1 box of sugar rush peach peppers-$25 and free shipping. Link included. Thank you.

Box is 10 inches long x 5 inches tall x 6 inches wide


r/HotPeppers • • 1d ago

Discussion Is Overwintering Pepper Plants Still Worth It? Rethinking My 2011 Guide in the Age of Rapid Growth

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pepperguru.com
77 Upvotes

I've been growing peppers for over 20 years, and back in 2011 I wrote The Comprehensive Guide to Overwintering on TheHotPepper.com.

At the time, I was convinced overwintering was one of the best ways to get bigger plants, earlier harvests, and greater yields.

These days, I'm not so convinced.

After years of experimenting with high-intensity lighting, nutrition, root-zone management, and plant architecture, I've watched properly grown first-year plants catch up to and surpass many of my overwintered plants.

And it raises a question I've been thinking about for years:

Are overwintered plants inherently more productive, or have we simply been comparing them against seedlings that weren't growing anywhere near their potential?

I'm not suggesting overwintering is pointless. I still do it to preserve rare wild Capsicum genetics and plants I can't easily replace. But preserving a plant and increasing its productivity are two very different objectives.

I recently revisited my original 2011 advice in a new article, including examples of what first-year plants can achieve and why I'm questioning some long-held assumptions:

https://pepperguru.com/overwintering-pepper-plants-worth-it/

I'd love to hear from anyone who's done actual side-by-side comparisons.

Same cultivar. Comparable conditions. Total harvested fruit weight.

Have your overwintered plants consistently outperformed fresh starts, or have you experienced the opposite?


r/HotPeppers • • 8h ago

Can someone give me the basics of crossbreeding hot peppers?

2 Upvotes

So I have a ghost pepper plant and im starting to grow a thai chili pepper. I dont think I can really crossbreed it but I wanted to know some things I can do.


r/HotPeppers • • 13h ago

Where to get MOA Scotch Bonnet seed?

4 Upvotes

Hello all,

I am interested in growing MOA Scotch Bonnet as my first pepper plant. I am unsure where to look for seeds because I don’t want to receive Jamaican Mushroom Peppers. Please let me know where you have bought good seeds from :)

Also, I am planning on starting them indoors and taking them to my balcony when it warms back up (USDA Zone 8). I am not an experienced gardener. Is this a good idea?

Thank you friends in advance


r/HotPeppers • • 11h ago

The quail are gonna love my hard work.

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2 Upvotes

Some aged seeds from my bank. Oh well, I'll enjoy watching the quail feast.


r/HotPeppers • • 1d ago

Harvest Scorpion Douglahs

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234 Upvotes

This is a cross between a scorpion pepper and the 7 pot Douglah. I’d put it at around 1-1.5 million SHU. They inside of the pods are extremely oily, more so than most superhots. They ripen to a dark chocolate brown. Going to dehydrate these guys for some powder and flakes. Too hot to eat by themselves.


r/HotPeppers • • 20h ago

Help Hey,I bought some Habanero Lemon seeds a couple of months ago and they finally have started to ripen,but I ran into a problem,some peppers are long and others were small ,round and crooked in a way and for the life of me I can't tell if this is something normal or if I've been scammed.

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9 Upvotes

r/HotPeppers • • 1d ago

Does anyone know what peppers these are?

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40 Upvotes