You’ll hear people refer to this pepper as both poblano and Ancho. When it’s dried, it’s an Ancho; when it’s fresh, it’s a poblano. Fully red ripened peppers are much hotter and more flavorful than peppers picked while they’re still green. This pepper is one of the most popular grown in Mexico, and it features prominently in Mexican cuisine—this is the pepper used to make chile rellenos. These chiles grow to about 4 inches long with broad shoulders (ancho in Spanish means broad).

Scoville scale rating:

• 1,000 to 2,000 SHU

Sun exposure:

• full sun

Soil pH:

• 6.5 to 7.0

Days to maturity:

• 65 to 100+ days after planting out, depending on cultivar

Spacing:

• 18 inches apart; rows 2 to 3 feet apart

Height and spread:

• 18 to 24 inches tall; 16-inch spread

Moisture:

• 1 inch per week

Notes:

• prefers well-drained soil
• peppers grow to about 4 inches
• good for roasting and stuffing
• unless you live in the Deep South, start your seeds indoors eight to 10 weeks before transplanting, which you should plan for two to three weeks after your expected last frost

Have you tried growing poblano peppers? What region do you grow them in? Please tell us your experiences growing poblano peppers.